NFL Rumors: Patriots Trade RB Pierre Strong to Browns for OT Tyrone Wheatley Jr.

Ahead of Tuesday's roster cutdown deadline, the New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns have made a trade of two surplus players.

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Patriots are sending running back Pierre Strong Jr. to the Browns for offensive tackle Tyrone Wheatley Jr.

Once the Patriots signed Ezekiel Elliott to provide more depth to their group of running backs, Strong's status on the roster seemed tenuous.

Elliott and Rhamondre Stevenson are going to be the top two options for head coach Bill Belichick. Ty Montgomery II splits time between running back and wide receiver. Kevin Harris, a sixth-round pick in 2022, could also get time after appearing in five games as a rookie.

The Browns can provide Strong with an opportunity to get on the field more frequently. Nick Chubb is the entrenched starter and will get the bulk of the work, but there's not a proven backup behind him with Kareem Hunt no longer on the team.

Jerome Ford only had eight rushing attempts last season. Demetric Felton Jr. is still trying to carve out a role in the NFL after shifting between wide receiver and running back in each of the past two seasons.

In an extremely limited sample last season, Strong had 100 rushing yards and one touchdown on 10 attempts. He's only 24 and might be able to take advantage of an expanded role in Cleveland playing behind that offensive line.

Meanwhile, the Patriots get a swing tackle who can get snaps if Trent Brown or Riley Reiff get injured at some point during the season.

It's not a significant move that is likely to alter the fortunes of either team during the regular season, but finding more depth at a low cost is never a bad idea at this point in the preseason.