Arizona Cardinals received Prentice Gautt and Tazwell…
Arizona Cardinals received Prentice Gautt and Tazwell Anderson / Taz Anderson. Arizona received Prentice Gautt and Taz Anderson. Both players went on to provide meaningful production for the Cardinals, giving Arizona two useful contributors from a deal that cost quarterback John Roach. Their combined on-field return was clearly stronger than the value Cleveland ultimately recovered from Roach and the later draft choice tied to him. That result supports a A- grade for Arizona Cardinals.
Arizona Cardinals Received
- player Prentice Gautt
- player Tazwell Anderson / Taz Anderson
Cleveland Browns Received
- player John Roach
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
On 1961-07-06, Arizona Cardinals received Prentice Gautt and Tazwell Anderson / Taz Anderson, while Cleveland Browns received John Roach. Historical team, transaction, draft, and player records support the package. The comparison focuses on the value each franchise actually controlled and the regular-season contribution created after the exchange.
Arizona Cardinals Return
Arizona Cardinals received Prentice Gautt and Tazwell Anderson / Taz Anderson. Arizona received Prentice Gautt and Taz Anderson. Both players went on to provide meaningful production for the Cardinals, giving Arizona two useful contributors from a deal that cost quarterback John Roach. Their combined on-field return was clearly stronger than the value Cleveland ultimately recovered from Roach and the later draft choice tied to him. That result supports a A- grade for Arizona Cardinals. The grade reflects the scale and durability of that return rather than simply the draft position or reputation attached to the asset at the moment of the trade.
Cleveland Browns Return
Cleveland Browns received John Roach. Cleveland received John Roach. The Browns later moved Roach to Green Bay for a 1962 third-round choice used on John Furman, so Cleveland did recover some draft value from the acquisition. Furman did not become an NFL contributor, however, leaving the Browns well behind the combined production Arizona received from Gautt and Anderson. That result supports a C- grade for Cleveland Browns. The same standard applies here: direct playing time, retained draft capital, and clearly documented later movement of an acquired pick matter more than a player selected by a different franchise later in the chain.
Value in Hindsight
Cleveland acquired quarterback John Roach for Prentice Gautt and Taz Anderson, then moved Roach to Green Bay for the 1962 third-round choice used on John Furman. Furman never became an NFL contributor, while Gautt and Anderson both supplied meaningful production for the Cardinals. Even crediting Cleveland for recovering draft capital, the realized value clearly favors Arizona. This hindsight view keeps later pick movement in context and avoids assigning another club's eventual player production to a team that had already moved the selection.
Final Verdict
The final call is Arizona Cardinals Win. Arizona Cardinals earns A-, and Cleveland Browns earns C-. Those grades match the supported package and the relative football value each side realized from the transaction.