NYDailyNews Calvin Pryor is on his way to Cleveland. The Jets on Thursday traded the safety and former first-round pick to the Browns for inside linebacker Demario Davis, who returns to his former team after one season in Cleveland. “We appreciate Calvin’s time and contributions to our organization and wish him nothing but the best in Cleveland,” Jets GM Mike Maccagnan said in a statement. “We welcome Demario back to the Jets and look forward to having him compete as we continue our offseason.” Pryor, the Jets’ 18th overall pick in the 2014 draft, was present for the team’s OTAs on Tuesday after skipping last week’s opening session. However, the 24-year-old spent most of the day working with the third team, while rookie safeties Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye - whom the Jets selected in the first and second rounds of this year’s draft, respectively - formed the first-team pairing. Pryor appeared disengaged during the practice, sitting on his helmet away from teammates before refusing to speak to the media. The Jets declined to pick up Pryor’s fifth-year option earlier this month after attempting to deal him during the draft. Davis, the Jets’ third-round pick in 2012, played his first four seasons with Gang Green before signing a two-year deal with the Browns before the 2016 campaign. In 80 career games, Davis has registered four fumble recoveries, 8.5 sacks and 437 tackles. Pryor has played in 44 games over three seasons with the Jets, recording two interceptions, two forced fumbles and 190 tackles. 

We have a rare player-for-player swap in the NFL, as the New York Jets have shipped former first round pick safety Calvin Pryor to the Cleveland Browns, in exchange for linebacker Demario Davis. I was actually surprised that the Jets were able to get anything on the trade market in exchange for Calvin Pryor, the organization was trying to trade Pryor since prior to the 2017 NFL Drafft, and after the Jets selected safeties with each of their first two draft picks (Jamal Adams, Marcus Maye) it was pretty much a guarantee that Pryor would not be on the Jets roster in 2017. After Pryor sulked his way through OTAs, and refused to speak to the media, I thought the Jets would end up releasing their former first round pick. Instead they acquire Demario Davis, a linebacker who has fallen down the depth chart in Cleveland, but who knows the Jets defensive system as he was with the team until the 2016 offseason. Calvin Pryor had potential as an in-the-box safety, but he struggled mightily in coverage with the Jets, and was such a liability in pass defense that the Jets could no longer keep him on the field. Maybe, just maybe, Calvin Pryor salvages his career in Cleveland if he is used correctly.