Browns close to dealing disappointing Warren to Denver

CLEVELAND -- On the eve of NFL free agency, the Cleveland Browns were nearly free of Gerard Warren.

The team is close to finalizing a trade that would send the underachieving defensive tackle and former first-round pick to the Denver Broncos for a fourth-round draft choice, a football source told the Associated Press on Tuesday night.

Warren, taken No. 3 overall in 2001, has been a disappointment during his four seasons in Cleveland. The teams still had work out some financial aspects before the deal is completed, said the source, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

"It's very, very close," said the source, who expected the deal to be announced on Wednesday when the league's free-agency period opens.

Last week, Browns general manager Phil Savage and coach Romeo Crennel gave Warren permission to seek a trade. Warren's agent, Joel Segal, spent last weekend at the NFL combine in Indianapolis shopping for a new home for his client.

The Broncos are a good fit. They need help on their defensive line after deciding not to re-sign free agent Reggie Hayward, who led the club with 10½ sacks last season. Denver is also seeking a trade for defensive lineman Trevor Pryce.

A new start may be just what Warren needs. Although he played much better at the end of last season, he was never the impact player the Browns envisioned when Butch Davis made him his first pick in '01.

In Denver, Warren will be reunited with Andre Patterson, who coached him the last two seasons in Cleveland and recently joined the Broncos' staff.

Warren's stay with the Browns will be remembered as much for his outrageous comments as anything he did on the field. As a rookie, he was fined $35,000 for a late hit on Jacksonville quarterback Mark Brunell. Last year, the league warned Warren after he threatened to deliver a head shot on Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger.

Interim coach Terry Robiskie made it his personal project to get the most out of Warren, and the 6-foot-3, 325-pounder showed signs of becoming a dominant interior lineman in the last weeks of the season.