For years, Devin and Jason McCourty have talked wistfully about playing together for the first time since college. Now, it appears they've finally gotten their wish.

https://twitter.com/Browns/status/974370787330281473

Cleveland initially announced Thursday afternoon that it was releasing Jason, the veteran cornerback, along with several other players, but the transaction apparently hadn't officially been filed with the league office, allowing the Patriots to acquire him at a relatively inexpensive cost and without competing for his services on the free agent market.

https://twitter.com/MikeReiss/status/974376676632252417

With Devin McCourty firmly established as a Patriots co-captain and starting safety, the arrival of his brother already seems to have them enthused about the prospect of a fraternal pairing in the Patriots' secondary. The identical McCourty twins, who share a Twitter account, posted the following emoji response to today's events:

https://twitter.com/McCourtyTwins/status/974371083305521153

After allowing Malcolm Butler to sign with Tennessee this week, New England needed to solidify its depth at the cornerback position, and McCourty would seem to fill that bill. He now will have an opportunity to vie for the starting cornerback spot opposite Stephon Gilmore.

This marks the second time in less than a week that the Browns and Patriots have consummated a trade (New England acquired defensive tackle Danny Shelton in a deal first reported last weekend). With this latest swap, the Patriots still have seven total picks in next month's NFL Draft, but move out of Round 6 for the time being, pending any further trading between now and late April's selection meeting.