Packers trade OL Justin McCray to Browns for draft pick swap

Early on during cut-down day on Saturday, reports emerged that the Green Bay Packers had made plans to cut offensive lineman Justin McCray. A player who had suited up at four different positions for the team, McCray got squeezed out in the battle for the roster thanks in part to draft picks and the signing of free agent Billy Turner.

However, a last-minute trade kept McCray on an active roster after all. McCray is headed to Cleveland, as the Browns announced that they had acquired him from the Packers. The two teams will apparently swap late-round draft picks in 2020 as a result of the trade.

While McCray was headed out of Green Bay anyway, he was a class act during his time with the Packers. A surprise player on the 2017 active roster, McCray played a critical role that year as the team suffered numerous injuries. He played both guard spots and right tackle that season, and would later take a significant number of preseason and offseason snaps at center behind Corey Linsley as well.

In Cleveland, McCray will be reunited with James Campen, his former offensive line coach. Campen took the same job with the Browns this offseason after the team elected to move on from him following Matt LaFleur’s hiring as head coach.

The Packers have not yet announced their entire 53-man roster, but the deadline to file transactions with the NFL has passed. Stay tuned for the full roster when it is announced.