Buffalo traded Wyatt Teller and a 2021 seventh-round pick to…
Buffalo traded Wyatt Teller and a 2021 seventh-round pick to Cleveland for 2020 fifth- and sixth-round selections. Teller became an elite guard for the Browns, earning repeated Pro Bowl and All-Pro recognition. Buffalo’s return was far better than the original grade suggests, however: the fifth-rounder was included in the Stefon Diggs package and the sixth-rounder became kicker Tyler Bass. Cleveland still landed the best direct player, but both teams created major value.
Buffalo Bills Received
- pick 2020 5th round pick (155th overall subsequently traded, Trevis Gipson )
- pick 2020 6th round pick (188th overall, Tyler Bass)
Cleveland Browns Received
- pick Wyatt Teller and 2021 7th round pick (257th overall subsequently traded, Jermar Jefferson)
Trade Analysis
Few late-summer trades generated as much value on both sides as Buffalo’s decision to move Wyatt Teller. The Bills had added several veteran offensive linemen and Teller had slipped down the depth chart, so they sent him and a 2021 seventh-round pick to Cleveland for fifth- and sixth-round selections in 2020.
Cleveland’s return became exceptional. Teller entered the starting lineup during the 2019 season and then made a major leap under Kevin Stefanski. He developed into a dominant run-game force, earned repeated Pro Bowl honors and received All-Pro recognition while becoming one of the defining players on Cleveland’s offensive line. The Browns also signed him to a long-term extension. Acquiring that caliber of interior lineman for late-round draft capital is the type of move that normally earns an easy A.
Buffalo’s side requires more care than simply attaching the names of the players ultimately drafted at those pick numbers. The Bills did not keep the 2020 fifth-round selection. They included No. 155 in the package sent to Minnesota for Stefon Diggs, meaning this trade supplied one piece of the capital used to acquire a star receiver who immediately transformed Buffalo’s offense. The sixth-round selection, No. 188, became Tyler Bass, who took over the kicking job as a rookie and remained an important specialist for years. Buffalo therefore received meaningful downstream value from both picks.
That does not make the trade even. Teller became a premium player at a premium salary-controlled moment, and Cleveland secured his prime for a tiny acquisition cost. But the old C grade for Buffalo badly understates what the return eventually helped create.
Cleveland moves to A+, while Buffalo jumps to A-. The Browns remain the winner because Teller’s individual value was extraordinary, yet this is a genuine win-win transaction rather than a fleecing.