Guard Kevin Zeitler signed a five-year deal with the Browns two years ago, so he expected to be in Cleveland for a while.
That changed this month when he was traded to the Giants as part of the deal that sent wide receiver Odell Beckham and defensive end Olivier Vernon to the Browns. Zeitler said on SiriusXM NFL Radio that he was lifting when word of his move broke and called it “quite a shock” to find out he’d be changing teams.
Once the shock subsided, Zeitler also found himself excited about the prospect of clearing the way for running back Saquon Barkley.
“I mean, obviously, the first thought that popped in my head is like, ‘All right, we got Saquon!’,” Zeitler said. “I know he’s a heck of a player so that can only make life more fun for me. Right after I got traded, Eli Manning reached out, so did Nate Solder. Both sound like great guys that are in it, ready to work and whatever I can do to help, it’ll be great.”
The Giants picked up Zeitler because their offensive line play was abysmal for much of last season, so his presence could make life more fun for Barkley at the same time that the running back is brightening Zeitler’s days.