Yesterday marked one of the most active NFL trade deadlines in recent memory with big name players such as Jay Ajayi, Kelvin Benjamin, and New England Patriots backup QB Jimmy Garoppolo all finding new homes. As it turns out, there could've been one more big move but the Cleveland Browns... are the Cleveland Browns.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Cleveland had everything in place to acquire Cincinnati Bengals backup QB AJ McCarron, but they failed to agree in time before the 4pm ET deadline expired. Schefter reports that the Bengals had agreed to the deal five minutes before the deadline and approve the trade to the NFL, but the Browns were too busy celebrating and forgot to call in the deal.
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Jim Owcarzki of Cincinnati.com reports that the Bengals would have received a second- and third-round pick in the 2018 draft as part of the McCarron trade. McCarron, the Bengals' fifth round pick in 2014, has not seen much playing time since entering the league. He made just three starts in 2015, and hasn't thrown a pass in either of the past two seasons. Still, he was seen as an upgrade from the Browns' current QB situation.
Cleveland was also interested in Jimmy Garoppolo leading up to the trade deadline, but he was dealt to the San Francisco 49ers for a 2018 second round pick.
As a result, the Browns, now 0-8 on the season, are stuck with their current rotation of quarterbacks which consists of rookie DeShone Kizer, Cody Kessler and Kevin Hogan. Luckily for Browns fans, they can't lose this week because they're on a bye.
