BROWNS BOOST QB FORTUNES WITH TYROD TAYLOR
The Cleveland Browns acquired quarterback Tyrod Taylor from the Buffalo Bills for a 3rd-round draft pick in 2018.
What does it give the Cleveland Browns
Clearly the Browns are looking to get into 'win now' mode, but it's hard to be confident that many more wins will come with Taylor at the helm. He's an inconsistent performer with a bloated contract; and while he's an obvious upgrade over DeShon Kizer, Taylor is arguably not an above-average NFL starter. Taylor will have some talented wideouts to throw to (Jarvis Landry, Josh Gordon, and Corey Coleman) but he had talented wideouts in Buffalo and things didn't pan out there. This seems like a bit of a desperation move by Cleveland.
What does it give the Buffalo Bills
Kudos to the Bills for both unloading Taylor's huge salary while getting a nice draft pick in the bargain (No. 65 overall this year). Taylor was benched last season due to ineffectiveness, and while the Bills don't yet have a proven replacement for him they now have more options to find their long-term answer at quarterback (including the extra early pick at the upcoming NFL Draft, and much-improved financial flexibility).
Fantasy impact
It's unclear for now what the fantasy impact of this will be for Buffalo, since it's not yet determined who the Bills' 2018 quarterback will be. Nathan Peterman doesn't look like he's ready for prime time yet in Buffalo, so a veteran and / or a draftee should be in the mix. As for Taylor, don't expect any significant fantasy upgrade now that he's with the Browns; he's joining a team that lost 16 games last season, and it's additionally a squad that won't have the help of superstar offensive tackle Joe Thomas anymore (now that he's retired).
