The fallout of Wednesday's stunning trade that sent Trent Richardson to the Colts extends far beyond the Cleveland Browns and the city of Indianapolis.
AFC South teams are bracing to deal with Richardson's hard-charging running style for two games a season long into the future. In the AFC North, opponents of the Browns see a team stripped of its best offensive player and preparing to start a third-string quarterback in Brian Hoyer.
"We go to Cleveland next week (Week 4)," Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis told SiriusXM NFL Radio on Thursday. "I'm feeling pretty good about that, a little better about that."
As he should. The Browns are looking down the road, making moves to stockpile draft picks and remake a roster into which the team's current front office is just beginning to dig its claws. There's merit in that, but the rest of this season looms as a wash for Cleveland.
"Anytime a great young player like Trent Richardson leaves your division -- now we still get to face him this year, but once instead of twice," Lewis said. "He's a fine player and, I think, has a big career ahead of him, so not bad that he drives two hours west of us instead of four hours north."
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