WITH PINION SET TO PUNT, 49ERS DEAL LEE
The Cleveland Browns acquired punter Andy Lee from the San Francisco 49ers for a seventh-round draft pick in 2017.
What does it give the Cleveland Browns
The Browns will probably need a quality punter than most teams in the coming campaign, since their QB situation is far from settled. Enter Lee, a 3-time Pro Bowler who is one of the best in the biz. The change of scenery may help veteran Lee get back to his 2011 Pro Bowl form, and should give the defense-first Browns even more of a sense of security if they get into too many 3-and-out situations early this season. In a related move, punter Spencer Lanning has been released by Cleveland.
What does it give the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco picked up punter Bradley Pinion in the fifth round of this year's NFL Draft, and early reports suggest he's already more than capable of handling the starter's duties in 2015. That made the more-expensive Lee expendable. While a 2017 7th-round pick isn't much of a return for a Pro Bowler, the key here for the Niners is settling their punting position while saving over $1 million in salary for the coming season.
Fantasy impact
Very few fantasy formats include punters, so this deal doesn't have much fantasy impact for either team. That said, if punting is part of your fantasy league than Lee suddenly gets a boost with this trade (since he might well be very busy in Cleveland).
