Looking for a better scheme fit last season, the Cleveland Browns did a surprise corner-for-corner swap with the Jacksonville Jaguars, trading Greg Newsome for Tyson Campbell with some draft capital attached to the deal.
Both players were coming from far different situations. Newsome was on the final year of his rookie deal and had been inconsistent over the past two seasons after initially shining early in his career for the Browns.
Meanwhile, Campbell had signed a four-year, $76.5 million deal with the Jaguars in 2024, but wasn’t deemed a fit by the new regime and was subsequently dealt a year later.
With the 2026 NFL Draft here, let’s revisit the trade and see how it’s fared for both sides.
Jacksonville Jaguars receive: CB Greg Newsome, 2026 sixth-round pick (No. 182)
Cleveland Browns receive: CB Tyson Campbell, 2026 seventh-round pick (No. 239)
Campbell, on the other hand, ended up being a great fit in Jim Schwartz’s defense, and is set to be Cleveland’s No. 2 outside corner opposite Denzel Ward for the future.
The Browns traded away the seventh-rounder they received with Joe Tryon-Shoyinka to the Chicago Bears at the deadline for a sixth-round pick.
Newsome’s inconsistencies remained an issue in Jacksonville, where he allowed nearly 70 percent of passes targeted at him to be completed, along with 11.7 yards per catch.
It wasn’t a bad season by any means, but it wasn’t like his first two seasons in the NFL, which Jacksonville was looking for in the trade. He also had just one pass breakup and one interception after the trade.
Neither team ended up holding on to the pick they received.
The Jaguars traded the sixth-rounder they received as a part of the Jakobi Meyers trade, sending both the sixth-rounder and a fourth-rounder to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Then, Las Vegas moved the pick to the Buffalo Bills this offseason when acquiring cornerback Taron Johnson and a seventh-round pick.
So, the Bills held the No. 182 pick entering the weekend. But they traded it to the Broncos in the first round, and Denver traded it back to the Cleveland Browns. Sunrise, sunset.
This was a slam-dunk for the Cleveland Browns in a move that wasn’t initially lauded by fans, but has now been a clear win for the franchise.
While Newsome had been inconsistent and wasn’t the best fit for Jim Schwartz, Campbell came in and played very well over the second half of the season for the Browns.
Now, they’ve got a cornerback with plenty of team control on a reasonable contract, as opposed to a one-year rental who wasn’t a great fit. The draft capital attached to the deal wasn’t significant either, and the Browns got a clear starter opposite Denzel Ward as a result. This was a clear win.
