ABJ
Cowboys smoke out Anderson deal Possibility of losing QB for mediocre draft picks forces Browns to improve offer at the last minute
Published on Wednesday, Apr 02, 2008
PALM BEACH, FLA.: Intrigue and innuendo sometimes surround NFL personnel decisions.
So it was when the Browns re-signed quarterback Derek Anderson to a three-year contract only a few hours after free agency had started in February.
The intrigue came from some smoke the Browns were seeing ? smoke they believed led to a fire. When deciphered, the signals were read this way:
Anderson, a restricted free agent, would sign a deal with the Dallas Cowboys that the Browns could not match. The Browns would receive the Cowboys' first- and third-round draft picks, which would have given the Browns the 28th selection in the first round.
The Cowboys then would trade Anderson, and perhaps a future draft pick, to the Miami Dolphins for the first overall pick in this year's draft. The Cowboys would select Arkansas running back Darren McFadden.
The Dolphins would wind up with Anderson, and perhaps more, and the Browns would see their quarterback flitter away for a late first-round draft pick and a third-round pick.
Cont...