In a surprise move, the Browns have traded a draft pick for a player.
The Steelers sent receiver Sammie Coates and a 2019 seventh-round draft pick to Cleveland for a sixth-round pick in 2018, the team announced.
In Pittsburgh, Coates became expendable when Martavis Bryant was cleared to return from a substance-abuse suspension. The Browns wanted to give rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer another target, and now they have.
The trade is a surprise because the Browns have been adamant about adding to their haul of draft picks, not trading picks away. Coates has two more years on his contract at very affordable salaries of $615,000 this year and $705,000 next year, however, so the Browns think he fits in what they’re trying to do.
The Browns and Steelers meet in Week One, when Coates may get matched up with Steelers cornerback Joe Haden, who left Cleveland for Pittsburgh this week.