Upheaval Continues As Brown Deal Brady Quinn to Denver

But the housecleaning that began Tuesday with the release of quarterback Derek Anderson took a surprising turn Sunday, when two former first-round draft picks were traded.

Quarterback Brady Quinn, the 22nd overall choice in 2007, was sent to the Denver Broncos for fullback Peyton Hillis, a sixth-round draft choice in 2011 and a conditional 2012 selection, according to the Broncos. The deal is pending physicals for Quinn and Hillis.

Then linebacker Kamerion Wimbley, the 13th overall pick in 2006, was dealt to the Oakland Raiders for an undisclosed draft choice. Wimbley started 62-of-63 games for the Browns and totaled 26.5 sacks in four years.

The Raiders confirmed the trade to The Associated Press and said it was for a pick previously obtained, which could be a third-round choice received last summer from the New England Patriots [team stats]. The Browns made no announcement, presumably pending Wimbley's physical.

"I appreciate everything Brady did for us last year and in his three seasons with the Cleveland Browns," coach Eric Mangini said. "He is professional in the way he goes about doing his job and worked extremely hard at every aspect of his game. I wish him the best of success in Denver."

Hillis, 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds, was the Broncos' seventh-round draft pick in 2008. When the Broncos suffered a rash of injuries to their tailbacks that season, Hillis became the team's primary rusher and scored five touchdowns in four games and finished with a team-leading 343 yards before suffering a torn hamstring in Week 14. But the Broncos' backfield was crowded in 2009 and Hillis returned to his fullback role.

In two seasons, he's totaled 397 yards (4.9 yards per carry) and six touchdowns, along with 18 catches for 198 yards and a touchdown. The Browns were looking for a running back to share the load with Jerome Harrison, who at 5-foot-9 and 205 pounds is not considered big enough to handle the rigors of 16 games. Starting fullback Lawrence Vickers is a restricted free agent, tendered an offer at the second-round level.

Hillis, an Arkansas native with the drawl to prove it, should get along well with Browns left tackle Joe Thomas, an avid outdoorsman. Hillis had a 10-point buck mounted on the wall of his Denver apartment. He rode home with his parents after scoring four touchdowns in the Razorbacks' 50-48 triple-overtime upset of No. 1 LSU in 2007.

"It was duck and deer hunting season," Arkansas running backs coach Tim Horton told the Rocky Mountain News. "He wasn't about to let some celebration get in the way."

The trade of Quinn was expected after the Browns agreed to terms with 11-year veteran free agent quarterback Jake Delhomme Saturday and traded with the Seattle Seahawks for Seneca Wallace on Monday. Cut by the Carolina Panthers on March 4, Delhomme received a two-year contract and will make $7 million in 2010, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

A Dublin, Ohio, native, Quinn grew up dreaming of playing for the Browns, but had to wait until his second season. He went 3-9 as the Browns' starter in 2008-09, throwing 10 touchdown passes with nine interceptions. In nine starts in '09, he was 2-7, completing 53.1 percent of his passes for 1,339 yards and averaging 5.2 yards per attempt.

Last summer Quinn won a training camp battle with Anderson for the starting job, but lasted just 2½ games before he was yanked at halftime in a 34-3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. After Anderson struggled, Quinn regained the top job Nov. 16 against the Ravens and held it until he sprained his left foot on a 24-yard bootleg run in a Dec. 20 victory over the Chiefs in Kansas City.

This time Quinn ran the no-huddle offense that was installed during the Browns' November bye week. In his second stint as the starter in six games, Quinn completed 50.3 percent with seven touchdowns and four interceptions. His best performances came against the Detroit Lions and San Diego Chargers, when he threw for a combined 575 yards and seven touchdowns.

His 67.2 passer rating for '09 was the best of his career, but surpassed only the New York Jets [team stats]' Mark Sanchez and the Raiders' JaMarcus Russell in the AFC.

For the second consecutive year, Quinn finished on injured reserve. His 2008 season ended on Nov. 26 with a fractured finger on his right hand that needed surgery.