Rival Browns, not Bengals, acquire Lions DT Rogers

DETROIT -- The Detroit Lions have traded Shaun Rogers to the Cleveland Browns for cornerback Leigh Bodden and a third-round pick in the April draft.

The deal was announced Saturday afternoon by the Lions, one day after a trade with Cincinnati fell through that would have shipped the talented but inconsistent defensive tackle to the Bengals in exchange for third- and fifth-round picks.

The 6-foot-4, 340-pound Rogers, a two-time Pro Bowl player, has 29 sacks and 253 tackles in his career.

Bodden spent his first five seasons with the Browns. He has 208 career tackles, 12 interceptions, and three fumble recoveries.

The Lions had been aggressively trying to move Rogers, who was due to make a $1 million roster bonus at 12:01 a.m. ET Saturday.

Rogers is among the most dominant defensive players in the league when he is motivated. But he failed to live up to expectations at times because of weight and off-the-field problems.

He was at his best in November, when he lifted Detroit to a rout over Denver and a 6-2 record.

Rogers intercepted a pass and rumbled 66 yards for a score, broke up a pass, had four quarterback hits and 2½ sacks, one of which he followed with a somersault. He had plenty of chances to display his signature celebration, gesturing as if he was ripping off his shirt, a la Superman.

Two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Shaun Rogers is tough to block when properly motivated. (US Presswire)

"It's just his presence," Detroit coach Rod Marinelli said last season. "I called him the server, because he keeps serving sacks for everybody because he's so disruptive."

But Rogers faded from the spotlight in the second half of the season and the Lions did, too, finishing with only one win in eight games.

He did, however, have a career highs in sacks (seven) and forced fumbles (four) after playing in all 16 games for the fourth time in his seven-year career. He also showed his knack for blocking kicks, making him one of the best in league history. Rogers has blocked 11 kicks, four more than any other player since 1991 -- a decade before his debut.

Whether teams tried to block Rogers with one lineman or two, he often got where he wanted to go with a rare combination of size, speed, strength and nimble footwork.

But he struggled to stay on the field in 2006, getting suspended by the NFL for four games for taking a banned substance to control his weight. He had knee surgery while he was away from the team, didn't play after becoming eligible, then was put on injured reserve with four games left.

Rogers missed just four games over his first five seasons in the league after the Lions drafted him in the second round in 2001, overlooking injury concerns some teams had about him coming out of Texas.

Detroit signed him to a six-year contract in 2005, keeping one of the few players to excel consistently for the struggling franchise.