NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported late Friday afternoon Damarious Randall is set to be traded from the Green Bay Packers to the Cleveland Browns. A few minutes later, Rapoport revealed the compensation: quarterback DeShone Kizer.
Per Rapoport, the Packers will send Randall to the Browns in exchange for Kizer. In addition, Rapoport reported the two teams will swap picks in the fourth and fifth rounds in next month's draft, with Green Bay moving up in both. The trade cannot be officially completed until Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET -- the start of the new league year.
The 30th overall pick in the 2015 draft, Randall's career in Green Bay started off promising. The DB played in 15 games, starting nine, and logged three picks and 14 pass breakups in that rookie season. The following two seasons, though, Randall played in a total of just 24 of a possible 32 games. He battled groin and knee injuries, and in a Week 4 win over the Bears this past season, Randall was benched after an argument with an assistant coach. With the deadline for the Packers to decide whether they want to pick up his 2019 fifth-year option coming up on May 2, Green Bay faced a tough decision on the DB's future. By agreeing to trade him Friday, that choice no longer needs to be made.
On the other end of the deal, Rapoport reported on NFL Total Access the Packers "really liked Kizer in the draft last year," and once he became expendable with the Browns' trade agreement forBills QB Tyrod Taylor, Green Bay clearly saw an opportunity to get him.
The trade for Kizer could spell the end of Brett Hundley's time as Aaron Rodgers' backup. Playing in the future Hall of Famer's stead this past year, Hundley struggled more than he succeeded, posting a 70.6 quarterback rating in 11 games. Kizer represents an opportunity for a better insurance policy if Rodgers' body can't hold up for a full slate of games in 2018.
