First Demetrius Harris. Then, Kareem Hunt. Now, yet another player from the Kansas City Chiefs has been attracted by John Dorsey’s sirens this offseason.
On Monday, the Cleveland Browns struck a deal with the Chiefs to acquire safety Eric Murray in exchange for defensive lineman Emmanuel Ogbah.
Indeed, the Browns were trying to trade Ogbah very aggressively for a while now, and the 6-foot-4, 275-pound Oklahoma State product did not show up at the Browns camp. So he knew what was coming…
“Ogbah didn’t show and I’d rather talk about the guys that are here,” Browns’ first-year head coach Freddie Kitchens told reporters before the trade went down. “I’m sure he’s got his reasons. I don’t know.”
Why Ogbah had to go after this last season with the Browns
Over the past three seasons, Ogbah started 40 games, totaling 122 tackles, 12.5 sacks, and 29 quarterback hits. He entered the league in 2016 as a second-round pick with the Browns. But Cleveland added Olivier Vernon in a trade with the Giants, it was clear Ogbah had to go.
Plus, Ogbah had a high ankle sprain for part of the 2018 season and it was pretty obvious the Browns lost faith in him as a pass rusher after many negative comments coming from the Browns’ staff.
Eric Murray, drafted by John Dorsey during his time with the Chiefs, is going to fill a very crucial position in Cleveland as a safety
As part of the trade, the Browns acquired Murray, a fourth-year defensive back who has played both safety and cornerback. The Minnesota product started 11 of the 45 games he played in Kansas City, finishing with one interception and 88 tackles. Murray, 25, was a player drafted by John Dorsey when he was the general manager in Kansas City. Dorsey always felt Murray has not been used to his full potential. Let’s see what he will manage to do with him next year.
One thing is sure, though. The Browns needed a safety after shipping away Jabrill Peppers in the Odell Beckham, Jr. trade, and after waiving Derrick Kindred on the first day of the offseason program. Rumors had even linked Eric Berry to the Browns a few days ago, as well.
A player swap is quite rare in terms of an NFL trade these days, but this time might be a win-win situation for both teams. Both teams got a player at a needed position on the last year of their contracts.
Is Ogbah what the Chiefs need in the defensive line? Only time will tell.
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