FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — 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.

“Cleveland it’s been real!” Jason McCourty wrote on the Twitter account the brothers share. “I wish nothing but the best to the guys in that locker room!”

The teams 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.

That changed Thursday.

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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.

Both Coach Hue Jackson and new general manager John Dorsey had 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.

“I’m kind of tired of hearing so many people say, even within the organization, is we don’t have the guys or we need more guys. Let’s work with the guys we do have and find ways to win games.”

A day after officially losing Dion Lewis, the Patriots could replace the running back with another familiar player. According to the NFL Network, the Patriots are one of two teams in contact with Danny Woodhead.

The 33-year-old running back found success for the first time in New England, where he played from 2010-2012.

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It remains to be seen how much Woodhead has left but with Lewis signing with Tennessee, there is room in the depth charter for another running back.

Reports also say former Bengals running back Jeremy Hill is visiting the Patriots on Friday.

Back in 2016, Belichick actually compared Lewis’ skill set with that of Woodhead so the signing does make sense.

RAIDERS: Oakland signed free agent Jordy Nelson and released Michael Crabtree. A person familiar with the move says Nelson agreed to a two-year contract. Oakland cut ties with Crabtree after three seasons.

Nelson had four 1,000-yard seasons in Green Bay. In 136 career games, he has 550 catches for 7,848 yards and 69 TDs.

BENGALS: Cincinnati agreed to a one-year deal with often-injured tight end Tyler Eifert and a three-year deal with punter Kevin Huber, keeping two of their unrestricted free agents.

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DOLPHINS: Three-time Pro Bowl center Mike Pouncey was cut by Miami, which also acquired center Daniel Kilgore in a trade with San Francisco.

Also, four-time Pro Bowl guard Josh Sitton agreed to terms on a two-year deal that could be worth nearly $18 million, said his agent, Jack Reale.

PANTHERS: Carolina and unrestricted free-agent defensive tackle Dontari Poe agreed on a three-year, $28 million deal.

SAINTS: Tom Benson, a successful auto dealer who brought the New Orleans Saints their only winning seasons and the “Benson Boogie,” has died. Benson, who has also owned the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans since 2012, was 90.

JAGUARS: Donte Moncrief, the former Indianapolis receiver, signed a one-year, $7 million contract with Jacksonville.

BUCCANEERS: Free-agent defensive tackle Beau Allen signed a three-year, $15 million contract and has no qualms about leaving the reigning NFL champion Eagles to join a team that hasn’t made the playoffs in a decade.

WASHINGTON: The team signed former Seattle wide receiver Paul Richardson, who had 95 catches for 1,302 yards and eight touchdowns in four seasons with the Seahawks.


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