Browns Sign Willis McGahee Day After Dealing Richardson

As expected, the Browns signed running back Willis McGahee in the wake of the Trent Richardson trade.  The Browns are saying that he will fit in seamlessly because of his experience and he probably will, but the fans are mostly falling in two camps.  There are fans that are simply forlorn over the loss of Richardson and then there are the fans who are buying in to the Richardson move and are looking ahead to May.  The result is that McGahee’s entrance to Cleveland has been relatively quiet.

Nov 11, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA; Denver Broncos running back Willis McGahee (23) with the ball in the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

To Richardson’s credit, he has been nothing but a class act since he heard the news.  He has said nothing but positive things about Cleveland and the organization.  Some are trying way too hard to read into his comments about the Colts locker room and how much fun they are having compared to that of the Browns.  The Colts are a 1-1 football team looking to make to make another trip to the playoffs while the Browns are an 0-2 team looking to next year.  Of course, they are having more fun.

Richardson said he did not want to leave Cleveland and loves the city, but that he is excited to be in Indianapolis and face that challenge.  There were public comments but there was also a conversation that D’Qwell Jackson had last night that he was elaborating on today in Berea.  The other thing Richardson said that is of note is that he believes the Front Office in Cleveland is doing a good job.  The people who like the trade are listening and the people who hate the trade are going to ignore it and say he is just saying the right things on his way out of town.

In either case, fans and the team are left to weigh whether they are better off with Trent Richardson or Willis McGahee and a second 2014 first round pick.  Some are coming around on that math while many fans are not seeing how it works out at this point.  Regardless, the Browns are in Minnesota to take on the Vikings and Adrian Peterson this week.  Brian Hoyer and McGahee along with Bobby Rainey are going to be the quarterback and running back along with the return of wide receiver Josh Gordon.

McGahee is coming off of a season with the Denver Broncos where he led the team in rushing with 731 yards while catching 26 catches for 221 yards and 4 total touchdowns.  He was able to average 4.4 yards per carry; a half yard better than any other half back.