The Rams sent Cleveland the rights to Canadian receiver Terry…
The Rams sent Cleveland the rights to Canadian receiver Terry Greer and received the Browns' 1986 fourth-round selection, No. 96. Greer produced only a small amount of offense for Cleveland, while Los Angeles retained a useful draft asset and later included No. 96 in another transaction. The Rams therefore extracted more practical value even though they did not themselves select Charles Haley.
Cleveland Browns Received
- other rights to Terry Greer
Los Angeles Rams Received
- pick 1986 fourth round pick (#96-Charles Haley)
Trade Analysis
The important distinction in this trade is between owning a draft choice and selecting the player ultimately associated with that choice. Cleveland sent its 1986 fourth-rounder to the Rams for the rights to receiver Terry Greer. That selection was No. 96. Los Angeles did not draft Charles Haley with it. The Rams later moved the pick to San Francisco in a separate transaction, and the 49ers used No. 96 on Haley. Treating Haley's Hall of Fame career as direct Rams production would therefore overstate the return.
Even with that distinction, Los Angeles comes out ahead. The Rams acquired a fourth-round asset that retained enough value to become part of another trade. Greer, meanwhile, provided Cleveland with very limited production. NFL and Pro Football Reference records show a short Browns tenure and a modest career receiving total. Cleveland was taking a reasonable chance on a receiver with professional experience, but the payoff never materialized.
The Rams' B reflects useful asset management rather than a hidden claim to Haley's career. They obtained a pick and preserved its market value. Cleveland's C- reflects the small contribution it received from Greer relative to the draft choice surrendered. Because the later Haley selection belongs to San Francisco's separate transaction, the margin should not be exaggerated. Los Angeles still wins this specific exchange because the pick proved more valuable as an asset than Greer proved as a Browns player.
Greer's Canadian success made Cleveland's gamble understandable, and the low acquisition cost limited the damage. The final judgment simply reflects that the Rams preserved more value through the pick than the Browns received from Greer's short tenure.