Jaguars and Browns trade cornerbacks, with Campbell going to Cleveland and Newsome to Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Tyson Campbell was far from a perfect fit in Jacksonville’s new defensive scheme, and he was getting paid like a shutdown cornerback.

It was hardly an ideal setup for the rebuilding Jaguars. So they traded him for another player from the 2021 NFL draft.

Jacksonville and Cleveland swapped starting cornerbacks Wednesday night, with Tyson Campbell going to the Browns (1-4) and Greg Newsome heading to the Jaguars (4-1).

“We are trying to win football games now and part of this trade is that we think Greg Newsome helps us do that,” Jaguars general manager James Gladstone said. “We will be aggressive to make us the best possible team this year.”

The teams also exchanged late-round draft picks in 2026, with Jacksonville getting a sixth-rounder from Cleveland and the Browns getting a seventh-rounder from the Jaguars.

“We felt like Greg’s skillset with how we’ve shifted the defensive scheme to play with more vision on the quarterback to be a strong fit for how we operate and his capacity to find the football was a trait he possessed,” Gladstone said.

Jacksonville’s previous regime — general manager Trent Baalke and coach Doug Pederson — signed Campbell to a four-year, $76.5 million extension last year that included $54.4 million guaranteed. But the second-round pick from Georgia struggled to find the ball in the team’s zone-heavy scheme.

Campbell has 296 tackles and six interceptions in 60 career games. He had 34 tackles, six pass defenses and a forced fumble this season. The Browns play at Pittsburgh on Sunday, and Campbell is expected to at least be active for the game.

Newsome, the 26th overall pick in 2021 from Northwestern, is in the final year of a contract that pays him $13.4 million. He has 178 tackles and three interceptions in 59 games with the Browns. He has 23 tackles and three pass defenses this season.

Newsome is expected to slide into Campbell starting spot and play in the team’s home game against Seattle on Sunday. His arrival does little to affect two-way rookie Travis Hunter, who will continue to serve as an outside cornerback and play primarily in passing situations.

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