CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns have until Saturday at 4 p.m. to cut their roster down the 53 players, but they've already gotten a head start on shaping their Week 1 roster.
On Thursday, the Browns announced they have agreed to a trade with the Buffalo Bills, acquiring second-year offensive lineman Wyatt Teller and a 2021 7th round pick. In return, Cleveland will send Buffalo its fifth and sixth-round picks in the 2020 NFL Draft.
An All-ACC selection at Virginia Tech, Teller was selected in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. In his rookie season in Buffalo, he played in eight games, seven of which he started, earning a 56.1 grade from advanced analytics website, Pro Football Focus.
In trading two draft picks to acquire the 6-foot-4, 314-pound Teller, Browns general manager John Dorsey is making an effort to solidify an offensive line that's been considered one of Cleveland's biggest question marks entering the 2019 season. In particular, the Browns' right guard position has remained unsettled after Kevin Zeitler was traded to the New York Giants as a part of Cleveland's package to acquire star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and pass-rusher Olivier Vernon.
Entering Training Camp, 2018 second-round pick Austin Corbett appeared to be the front-runner to replace Zeitler in the Browns' starting lineup. In the time since, however, Corbett has been passed on Cleveland's depth chart by veteran offensive lineman Eric Kush, although sixth-round pick Drew Forbes has also been considered a candidate for the spot.
But after acquiring Teller on Thursday, the competition may have very well just ended.
The Browns will host the Detroit Lions in their preseason finale on Thursday night before opening the regular season on Sept. 8 when they host the Tennessee Titans.
