FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The McCourty twins are back together.
The Cleveland Browns traded cornerback Jason McCourty to the New England Patriots on Thursday, reuniting him with his brother Devin. The Browns also sent a seventh-round pick to the Patriots to get a sixth-rounder in return.
The Browns have been one of the most active teams in the NFL this offseason as they try to rebuild from last season’s 0-16 record. They have already traded for quarterback Tyrod Taylor and three-time Pro Bowl receiver Jarvis Landry, while signing seven free agents, including running back Carlos Hyde.
They also made a deal on Wednesday to send defensive lineman Danny Shelton to New England for a third-round pick in 2019. But the defending AFC champion Patriots have mostly been losing players, including receiver Danny Amendola, left tackle Nate Solder, defensive back Malcolm Butler and running back Dion Lewis.
After spending his first eight seasons with Tennessee, Jason McCourty, 30, started 14 games and led the Browns with three interceptions and made 65 tackles last season, the most for any player in the secondary.
He became a locker room leader, but also ruffled feathers by saying the team never should have gone winless after both coach Hue Jackson and new general manager John Dorsey bemoaned the team’s lack of talent.
“The talent in this locker room is not the talent to go win a Super Bowl this year, but this locker room is far more talented than 0-16,” Jason McCourty said following the season-ending loss in Pittsburgh.
Also Thursday, the Patriots re-signed running back Rex Burkhead. A 2013 sixth-round draft pick who spent his first four seasons with the Bengals, Burkhead has run for 639 yards and eight touchdowns and caught 64 passes for 542 yards and four touchdowns in his career.