Cleveland Browns GM Andrew Berry has been a very busy man. First, he acquired LT Cam Robinson from the Houston Texans. Then, he was shipping QB Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals. Now, on the defensive
side, he has traded CB Greg Newsome to the Jacksonville Jaguars along with a 2026 sixth-round draft pick for CB Tyson Campbell and a 2026 seventh-round selection.
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Basically, it was a swap of cornerbacks. This is the second trade between the two teams, as Jacksonville was able to move up the April draft board in order to select WR/CB Travis Hunter with the second overall pick, while the Browns dropped to the fifth overall spot and snatched DT Mason Graham out of Michigan.
Campbell (6’-2”, 195 pounds) was the first player taken in Round 2 of the 2021 NFL draft by the Jaguars after a sterling career at Georgia. He was clocked in the 40 at 4.36 with a vertical jump of 34.5”.
As a rookie, Campbell was used in the Jaguars’ defense right away and has started 59 of 60 games. He has 296 total tackles with nine being for loss. His stats also include three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, zero sacks, 42 batted passes, and six interceptions. In 2022, he had three picks.
This season, in all five matches, he has started every game with 34 total tackles and six pass defenses.
Coming out of college, the scouts loved Campbell’s world-class speed and athletic ability, with indicators of a shutdown cornerback. The knock on him was some inconsistencies in his footwork and transitions in coverage prior to the draft.
Right before the 2023 training camp, the Jaguars inked Campbell to a four-year $76.5 million contract that included $53.40 million guaranteed, $31.50 million guaranteed upon signing, plus a signing bonus of $16 million. In September, Campbell suffered a hamstring issue that landed him on IR. He was then activated in mid-October and received a Pro Football Focus grade of 62.9, ranked #103 out of 222 available corners.
Newsome (6’-0”, 195 pounds) came to the Browns as their first-round draft pick in 2021 out of Northwestern six picks before Campbell. In college, Newsome was named Second Team All-American and First Team All-Big 10. He started 11 games in his Browns rookie season and has started 47 of 59 contests over five NFL seasons.
He was the right outside starting cornerback when Cleveland drafted CB Martin Emerson, Jr. out of Mississippi State. By mid-season of that 2022 season, Emerson had taken over Newsome’s starting position, which pushed Newsome into the slot or nickel position.
This year, when Emerson went down to a season-ending Achilles tear, Newsome resumed the right outside cornerback position. In five starts this season, Newsome has 23 total tackles, two tackles for loss, and three batted passes.
So far, it is probably the best season Newsome has put together while with the Browns.
Why did this trade happen?
The Jaguars were not happy with how Campbell fit in their new defensive scheme. After a 4-13-0 season, head coach Doug Peterson was fired along with his staff. Liam Coen was hired as the new head coach and the new GM became James Gladstone. Currently, the Jags are 4-1-0 and tied for their division lead.
The new DC is Anthony Campanile whose scheme is completely different than the previous regime under Doug Peterson. The Jags were looking to move Campbell.
For the Browns, Newsome was in the last year of his rookie deal. He has already come out and stated that he is seeking a long-term contract, which, of course, would accompany a huge amount of money. In this mix is the fact that Emerson is also in his contract year, despite being injured. The defense would prefer to keep Emerson, so Newsome became expendable.
Financially, Campbell’s cap hit this year is $8.03 million, while Newsome’s is $13.38 million.
The slot/nickel corner has been manned by Myles Harden, while Dom Jones and Jarrick Bernard-Converse are listed as backups.
Neither player has been voted to the Pro Bowl. The trade is pending physicals.
