New DA Trade Rumor Makes the Rounds

Out of Minnesota comes the latest trade rumor involving Browns QB Derek Anderson... (APRIL FOOLS!)

APRIL FOOLS! Yes, this story was part of our yearly April first idiocy. We're well aware that Michael Turner is no longer with the Falcons and that Kelly Holcomb isn't with the Vikings. That, plus the letters that start each paragraph, are hints that we were just messin' with ya'll. Hope you aren't disappointed that this trade isn't real ;-)

As reported previously on the Orange and Brown Report, the Cleveland organization has continued scouting potential Day One draft picks into the month of April, a sign that the organization may be eyeing getting back into the first three rounds of the draft. But something even bigger may be in the works. 

Phil Savage has reportedly been in talks regarding a multi-team deal which would remake the face of the Cleveland Browns in short order, positioning the team to run the gauntlet in 2008 at the cost of depth at the quarterback position.

Reports out of Minnesota suggest that the team is considering swapping quarterback Derek Anderson to the Vikings in a complex deal that would involve at least one other club, namely the San Diego Chargers. In return for Anderson, RB Jamal Lewis, a 2009 first day pick, and an unnamed defensive player, the Browns would receive OT Bryant McKinnie, QB Kelly Holcomb, MLB Matt Wilhelm, and RB Michael Turner.

It is important to note that these reports are not confirmed by either club, and multi-team deals are notoriously difficult to pull off in these days of the salary cap.

Last season, the Browns were fortunate with their injury situation, but suffered with porous run defense. The deal, if consummated, would install Brady Quinn as the team's quarterback, with Holcomb as a backup, shore up the middle of the linebacker corps and provide the team with truly terrifying depth at offensive tackle.

One key aspect of the trade which may be weighing on the minds of Browns executives is its crowd-pleasing nature. "We think we've worked in every single player that's been obsessed about in the OBR's online forums over the last four years", a source close to the deal told the Orange and Brown Report. The source continues to say that the team hopes, by landing these players, "to move forward into reading a brand new generation of insane trade threads". It's an intriguing prospect: for a team which has seen its season ticket waiting list turn into unsold seats in recent years, there's no such thing as too much pandering.