Cleveland Browns trade for Justin McCray and Taywan Taylor in separate deals, explaining what they do and why they're here

As the Cleveland Browns released players to get down to their 53-man roster, they made a pair of trades, acquiring Justin McCray from the Green Bay Packers and Taywan Taylor from the Tennessee Titans. The costs for each are reportedly negligible and the Browns get two players that can help them.

The Cleveland Browns made a pair of trades as they got their roster down to 53. They traded with the Green Bay Packers to acquire Justin McCray and the Tennessee Titans to get Taywan Taylor. Both deals are allegedly involving seventh round picks, so there is zero risk for the Browns to get a pair of players that at the very least can get them through for a few weeks.

McCray is a 27-year old offensive lineman that played for offensive line coach James Campen with the Green Bay Packers. An undrafted free agent with athletic testing that suggests he performed the drills on one leg, McCray has worked his way into being a contributing offensive lineman.

And for the Packers, who have dealt with a number of injuries to offensive linemen the past few years, that has had McCray start eight games in 2017, playing both guard spots and right tackle and then five in 2018 at right guard.

The Browns currently need to bolster the depth at right guard, so McCray immediately becomes the next man up behind Eric Kush. Drew Forbes suffered a knee injury in the preseason finale and Wyatt Teller, who was acquired Thursday, is a career left guard. And right now, it would seem the Browns may be content to keep him at left guard behind Joel Bitonio.

McCray takes the spot that Kush was initially signed to perform, which was the main backup at a number of spots. When Kush became the starting right guard, the only other player that had experience at a number of different spots was Bryan Witzmann, who was part of their cut down.

Taywan Taylor was an incredibly productive collegiate player at Western Kentucky, who also tested remarkably well. For the Tennessee Titans, he's had some moments but has been inconsistent. Drops have been a bit of an issue for him and then finding themselves in position to sign Adam Humphries, which plays the role Taylor has and then drafting A.J. Brown, he was an odd man out.

Taylor is everything people loved about the potential of Braxton Miller in a Browns uniform, but better. Taylor has is a more proven receiver than Miller, has produced more than Miller and even has more experience as a player in space than Miller. Even his athletic testing was better and both have out of this world agility. On top of everything else, Taylor is two years younger than Miller.

None of this guarantees Taylor anything and he might be gone in a month when Antonio Callaway comes back, but he brings an interesting dynamic to the receiver position the Browns didn't really have and clearly was something that intrigued them, which is why they brought in Miller in the first place.

With all of the talent the Browns have in terms of their weapons, Taylor gives them equal parts player that can take a smoke screen and create yards after the catch and a player that can stretch the field. Whereas he was the third or sometimes the second option with the Titans the past two seasons, he might be never be more than a fourth or fifth option in Cleveland.

In that sense, he's a roll of the dice like Breshad Perriman. Perriman came in with no cost while Taylor has a tiny one, but Baker Mayfield is the type of quarterback that can get the best out of him with his accuracy and timing.

Taywan Taylor may not work for the Browns, but he certainly won't be boring. For an inconsequential cost, the two trades the Browns make upgrade their offensive line depth and give them another potential spark plug offensive weapon. While McCray is more of a stabilizing piece the Browns hope never has to play, Taylor has some upside and could be a lightning in a bottle type player as part of an offensive group that already has so much explosive ability.