NFL compensatory picks were announced on Tuesday, and the Cleveland Browns will reportedly be getting Houston’s third-round comp pick for Duke Johnson.
On Tuesday, the NFL released the compensatory picks for the 2020 NFL Draft. The New England Patriots once again were awarded the most picks with four.
The Cleveland Browns, as expected, did not receive any comp picks, but they are still impacted. Back in August of 2019, Cleveland traded running back Duke Johnson to the Houston Texans. In return, Houston sent a conditional fourth-round pick that would become a third-round selection if Johnson played in ten or more games. Johnson played in all 16 games, and as such, the Browns were to receive the Texans’ 2020 third-rounder.
But that’s not the end of the story. Fox 26’s Mark Berman reported that since Houston received a third-round comp pick for safety Tyrann Mathieu signing with the Kansas City Chiefs, that selection (#97) would go to Cleveland, and the Texans would keep their own third-round pick (#90).
The full list of compensatory picks in the 2020 NFL Draft: pic.twitter.com/QKADDS4yPu
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 10, 2020
The difference of seven spots doesn’t seem like much, but it can be all the difference between a team being able to get their target, or missing out. The bigger problem is that former Cleveland general manager John Dorsey made a poor trade in principle. For a backup RB, a third-rounder isn’t bad value in the slightest. But making a deal for an pick that has two conditions, especially when the other team didn’t even have an actual GM in place? Not a great look.
The #Texans awarded three compensatory picks from lost free agents, one third and two in the seventh round. The third-round pick goes to the Browns for the trade which brought RB Duke Johnson to Houston. The Texans still have their original 2020 third-round pick.
— Mark Berman (@MarkBerman_) March 10, 2020
If true, current GM Andrew Berry likely had prior knowledge of the exact details of this trade, and has been acting accordingly. It shouldn’t be a surprise to the teams, although the public was not aware until now.
Cleveland could be looking at adding an offensive tackle, safety, or linebacker with their extra third-rounder this year. The team has a total of eight selections, including four over the first two days.