Cleveland acquired the Saints' 1973 third-round selection,…
Cleveland acquired the Saints' 1973 third-round selection, No. 54, a meaningfully stronger piece of draft capital than the assets it sent away. The pick later became part of the Rich Jackson transaction, illustrating the flexibility of the asset without turning Jackson into direct consideration here. Cleveland's incoming third-round value gives it the stronger side of this exchange.
Cleveland Browns Received
- pick 1973 third round pick (Saints pick) (#54-Paul Howard)
Washington Commanders Received
- player Mitch Johnson
- pick 1974 eighth round pick (#196-Darwin Robinson)
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
On 1972-07-31, Cleveland Browns received 1973 third round pick (Saints pick) (#54-Paul Howard), while Washington Commanders received Mitch Johnson; 1974 eighth round pick (#196-Darwin Robinson). The comparison is limited to the consideration each club controlled directly after the transaction. Later movement of an acquired pick or player is useful for tracing provenance, but it is a separate transaction and is not counted as extra compensation in this verdict.
Cleveland Browns Return
Cleveland acquired the Saints' 1973 third-round selection, No. 54, a meaningfully stronger piece of draft capital than the assets it sent away. The pick later became part of the Rich Jackson transaction, illustrating the flexibility of the asset without turning Jackson into direct consideration here. Cleveland's incoming third-round value gives it the stronger side of this exchange.
Washington Return
Washington received Mitch Johnson and a future 1974 eighth-round selection, No. 196 Darwin Robinson. Robinson did not appear in an NFL regular-season game, and the package did not produce a return comparable to the third-round asset Cleveland controlled. Washington received multiple pieces, but their realized and retained value was limited enough to leave the club clearly behind.
Value in Hindsight
Cleveland acquired the Saints' 1973 third-round selection and later used that asset in the Rich Jackson deal, extracting meaningful veteran value. Washington received Mitch Johnson and a future eighth that became Darwin Robinson, who did not appear in an NFL regular-season game. Cleveland generated the better return. The grade reflects that direct-package value without crediting later unrelated transactions as though they were part of the original exchange.
Final Verdict
Cleveland Browns receives a B and Washington Commanders receives a D+. The verdict is Cleveland Browns Win. This conclusion weighs the direct assets, the useful football value each side actually realized, and the scale of the transaction. Where the evidence shows only a small gap, the grades stay close; where one return produced clearly more durable value, the separation is larger.