Just In: Cleveland Browns Trade Former Michigan Wolverines Star to Detroit Lions; Wide Receiver Dealt Hours Before NFL Trade Deadline – Week 8

The Cleveland Browns continue to work the phones before the NFL trade deadline, moving a starting wide receiver across conferences for a sixth-round pick. Cleveland has traded starting wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones to the Detroit Lions for a sixth-round pick, per the NFL’s official Twitter account.

Peoples-Jones has seen his role vastly decrease in 2023, resulting in posting a career-low in receiving yards per game at 13.9. He has eight catches for 97 yards and no touchdowns in seven games. Meanwhile, the Lions sent a 2024 sixth-round pick back to the Cleveland Browns.

Cleveland Browns: Shipping Donovan Peoples-Jones Amid Diminished Role

Donovan Peoples-Jones, a sixth-round draft pick in the 2020 NFL draft, has spent his entire four-year NFL career with the Cleveland Browns. His best season came in 2022, with the wideout snagging 61 passes for 839 yards and three touchdowns. However, his stellar campaign did not result in increased production this year. Peoples-Jones has played 83% of the offensive snaps this season but is fifth on the team in targets. The Michigan product has taken a backseat to the receiving duo of Amari Cooper and Elijah Moore.

Detroit Lions; Receiving Room with the Addition of DPJ

The Lions will add former Cleveland Browns wideout Donovan Peoples-Jones to a crowded and talented receiving core. Star wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown leads the Lions pass-catchers, with speedster Kalif Raymond and the dependent Josh Reynolds in the mix. The Lions also have Jameson Williams on the roster. Williams, a first-round pick by the Lions in 2022, has struggled but is still just 22 years of age. Adding Peoples-Jones should be viewed as a depth piece, with him receiving limited action while St. Brown, Reynolds, and Raymond are healthy. Meanwhile, The Cleveland Browns could turn to David Bell, Cedric Tillman, or Marquise Goodwin for more reps.