About a month before this year’s NFL trade deadline, the Cleveland Browns made a move that left fans collectively scratching their heads.
With cornerback Greg Newsome III, their 2021 first-round draft pick, playing in the fifth and final year of his rookie contract, general manager Andrew Berry made the surprising decision to trade Newsome to Jacksonville in exchange for CB Tyson Campbell and a swap of late-round draft picks.
The move was highly questioned, as Campbell wasn’t only from the same 2021 draft class as Newsome, but was selected seven picks later, early in the second round. He had also signed a four-year, $76.5 million extension with the Jaguars during the 2024 offseason, making him due about $15M in annual cash over the next three seasons, per Spotrac.
Newsome was coming off a rough 2024 season that, according to Pro Football Focus, saw him allow a career-high 120.7 passer rating when targeted. He had long been tabbed as a potential trade target for CB-needy teams. But a trade on Oct. 8, for a player in Campbell who struggled with chronic soft-tissue injuries over his last two years in Jacksonville, was definitely an odd move for a franchise with more pressing needs on the offensive side of the football.
Less than two months later, Campbell has settled into Jim Schwartz’s defense as the starting cornerback opposite Denzel Ward, and the narrative around that October trade has firmly shifted in Cleveland’s favor.
Tyson Campbell continues to prove the Cleveland Browns right
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated shed some light on the Campbell move at the time of the trade, calling him a better scheme fit for Schwartz than new Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile. That’s played out in Cleveland, with Campbell giving the Browns a lock-down corner opposite Ward, with CB Myles Harden and safety Grant Delpit handling most of the work in the slot.
The Browns have since climbed to No. 4 in football in total EPA on defense, per SumerSports, and Campbell is coming off his best game as a Brown in Sunday’s win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He finished with three solo tackles, two passes defensed, two run-stuffs, and just five receiving yards allowed, which was good for a PFF coverage grade of 90.2.
Newsome, meanwhile, has been inconsistent for Jacksonville in more of a full-time role on the outside. He allowed touchdowns in his first four games with the Jaguars, per PFF, and has given up five total in 11 games. He was better in the month of December, but his status as a pending 2026 free agent complicates matters, and the Browns have to be feeling happy on their end, as Campbell has been a clear upgrade as more of a pure, outside cover corner.
It’s hard to take a major bow here, as Newsome and the Jaguars will be playing postseason games later this month, while the Browns are packing for Cabo. But Berry’s savvy move to add an underrated player in Campbell and his reasonable contract is a feather in his cap nonetheless.