Written by Cris Sykes

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Well, you can be sure of one thing, Phil Savage isn't sitting around in his office playing free cell. The Browns were very active once again today, trading Reuben Droughns, signing a restricted free agent to an offer sheet, and releasing one of the longest tenured Browns on the roster. Cris Sykes has the update for us ...

Well, you can be sure of one thing, Phil Savage isn't sitting around in his office playing free cell. The Browns were very active once again today, making one trade, signing a restricted free agent to an offer sheet, and releasing one of the longest tenured Browns on the roster.

In the first bit of news, which was widely expected, Phil Savage opened up some space in a relatively crowded backfield by trading Rueben Droughns to the New York Giants in exchange for wide receiver Tim Carter. The acquisition of Jamal Lewis to be the primary ball carrier for the Browns made Rueben expendable in the eyes of GM Phil Savage. This also prevents the Browns from having to pay Droughns 1.75 million dollar roster bonus which was due next week.

In Droughns’ two seasons in Cleveland, he amassed 1,990 rushing yards on 529 carries, scoring six touchdowns. Droughns turned the ball over almost as often as he scored, with five fumbles lost over the same span.

Tim Carter, drafted out of Auburn in 2002, has played in 53 games in his five seasons, starting eleven of them. Last year, he started eight games for the Giants, registering 22 catches for 253 yards and two touchdowns. Carter should add depth to the Browns receiving corps, and is a speedster known for having questionable hands.

In another move, the Browns have signed former Bengals defensive tackle Shaun Smith to an offer sheet. The restricted free agent was not originally drafted, so no compensation would need to be sent to the Bengals should they decide to not match the offer. Smith is listed at 6’2” and 325 pounds. Only 25 years old, Smith has been primarily used as depth, but many believe he could become a force, eating up blockers in the middle of a 3-4 defense.

The final move by the Browns today is bittersweet. They have decided to part ways with one of the original Browns from the 1999 draft, CB Daylon McCutcheon. McCutcheon spent all of 2006 on the injured reserve for the Browns.