On Wednesday, the Cleveland Browns dropped a bomb on the NFL by trading 2012 top pick, running back Trent Richardson, to the Colts for a first-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. Thursday, they moved on and added veteran Willis McGahee to the club.
McGahee might be past his prime, but should help Cleveland and could even immediately play a big role if he proves he still has some ability. Released this summer by the Denver Broncos, the 31-yard-old McGahee isn’t entirely over the hill. The big question, however, is how the knee injury that sidelined him last season will affect his play this year.
The good news for the Browns is that, when healthy last year, McGahee produced. In only ten games, he averaged 4.4 yards per carry and rushed for 731 yards. That would have put him on pace to run for 1168 yards over the course of a full 16-game season. He’s significantly older than Richardson, but if he’s back to full speed, there’s little question that he will help the franchise.
Even if McGahee does help Cleveland this year and is able to produce similarly to what they would have gotten from Richardson, questions about the trade will continue to swirl. Richardson was deemed a long-term fix at the position and even with a successful year by McGahee, judging the trade even by the end of the season will be difficult to do.
