The Cleveland Browns traded defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah to the Kansas Chiefs on Monday.
The Chiefs announced the trade and said they would send safety Eric Murray in return.
Ogbah, selected by the Browns in the second round (32nd overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft, did not show up to the Browns’ training facility on Monday for the first day of voluntary workouts because he expected to be traded. He had been on the trading block since the team acquired edge rusher Olivier Vernon from the New York Giants in March.
Also absent for the Browns was running back Duke Johnson, whose name has swirled in trade rumors since the team added Kareem Hunt earlier this offseason. Head coach Freddie Kitchens declined to give a reason for Johnson’s absence, but he said at last week’s league meetings Johnson “will have a role” on the Browns this season, adding that assumptions of a trade are misguided.
One notable player who did show up was receiver Odell Beckham Jr., acquired in another trade with the Giants. The Browns tweeted a photo of him arriving at their facility with a simple caption: “Welcome to Cleveland, @obj!”
Also on Monday, the Browns waived three former draft picks, per Cleveland.com: 2016 fourth-round receiver Ricardo Louis, 2016 fourth-round safety Derrick Kindred and 2017 fourth-round defensive back Howard Wilson.
Ogbah is entering the final year of a four-year, $6.6 million rookie deal he signed in 2016. He is due to make $1.35 million this season.
The 25-year-old has played in 40 games (all starts) in Cleveland, tallying 122 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks and 29 quarterback hits.
The Chiefs signed defensive end Alex Okafor in free agency in March but still needed another edge rusher after releasing Justin Houston and trading Dee Ford to San Francisco.
Johnson, 25, has just 299 carries through four seasons, posting 1,286 yards and five touchdowns, but he has also caught 235 passes for 2,170 yards and eight scores.
The Browns gave Johnson a three-year, $15.6 million extension last June, but his role shrunk with the signing of the since-traded Carlos Hyde and drafting of Nick Chubb. Johnson finished with 87 total touches (40 carries) for 630 yards (201 rushing) and three receiving TDs.
Murray, 25, started nine of 15 games for the Chiefs last season, notching 55 tackles, one interception and two passes defensed. He could wind up replacing Jabrill Peppers, who was traded in the package to acquire Beckham from New York.
