Jamal Lewis Is Goin' to Cleveland

Earlier today I mentioned a Baltimore Sun piece that speculated the Ravens might be in the Willis McGahee business. The club released Jamal Lewis last week to avoid paying him a roster bonus, with the intention of re-signing him to a more salary-cap friendly contract.

Well, Baltimore's first offer might have been cap-friendly, but apparently it wasn't Jamal-friendly. On Wednesday, the former 2,000-yard rusher visited Cleveland ... and now he's a member of the Browns.

Terms of the deal weren't disclosed, but the Browns get a guy who used to be really good, but struggled recently; the Ravens are left with Mike Anderson and Musa Smith. What this means for Reuben Droughns, Cleveland's incumbent running back, is not clear. There is no guarantee Lewis will ever return to his pre-injury/pre-imprisonment form, but you'd have to think Droughns won't be happy about sharing carries (though he might be less happy about being unemployed).

The Ravens could give serious consideration to trading for McGahee now, but it might make more sense to draft his replacement in next month's draft. Running back is arguably football's most fungible position and the draft is a much cheaper alternative than trading for a veteran looking for a new deal.

UPDATE: The Browns signed Lewis to a one-year deal, which leads me to believe that in one year he won't be with the team.