After addressing their defense through the 2013 NFL Draft Thursday by taking LSU defensive end Barkevious Mingo, the Cleveland Browns have swung a trade to improve their passing game.
NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reported Friday the Browns have completed a trade with the Miami Dolphins for slot receiver Davone Bess, who agreed to a three-year extension with the team.
In addition to Bess, the Browns received the No. 111 overall and No. 217 overall picks in the 2013 NFL Draft, while the Dolphins received picks No. 104 and No. 164.
It fills a need for Cleveland. The Browns house plenty of young wideouts on the roster in the form of Greg Little, Josh Gordon and Travis Benjamin, but few proven veterans. Offensive coordinator Norv Turner won't waste time plugging Bess into his vertical passing scheme. Averaging 64 catches per year during his five seasons in Miami, Bess isn't a scoring machine, but he gives quarterback Brandon Weeden a solid pass-catching presence underneath.
It's not great news for the recently signed David Nelson, or developmental wideouts Jordan Norwood and Josh Cooper. But it's a sign that coach Rob Chudzinski isn't sitting still with the current roster.
The Browns lack a second-round pick after selecting Gordon in last year's supplemental draft, but the young receiver might be the most promising deep threat of the bunch. Bess isn't going to take the top off a defense like Gordon, but he does add a viable weapon to an offense struggling to awaken from its decade-long sleep.
UPDATE: On Saturday, NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah reported Bess' new contract is worth $11.5 million, with $5.75 million guaranteed.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
