"The free-agency signing period wasn't the only thing that began in the NFL on Friday. The league's trading period began anew as well, and that's the part the Bucs delved into.

Sticking with their plan to get tougher, the Bucs sent two draft picks, including their second-rounder this year, to the Cleveland Browns for tight end Kellen Winslow.

The deal also sends a fifth-round pick in 2010 to the Browns, but the Bucs believe Winslow will eventually justify the expense because he has always been more than just a tight end.

Wildly competitive, often controversial and ultraversatile, Winslow can line up in the slot like a flanker or even as a wideout, and in new coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski's offense, he expects to do all of those things.

"I'll be in the slot, out wide a little, whatever they need to create mismatches," said Winslow, a fifth-year pro who, when healthy, is one of the game's most effective playmakers.

Staying healthy, though, has long been a problem for Winslow. He broke his right leg two games into his rookie season and has twice undergone right knee surgery, both times as a result of a 2005 motorcycle accident.

He also missed six games with a staph infection last season, but that didn't keep him from establishing himself as one of the game's most productive pass-catching tight ends.

Since 2006, only two tight ends have caught more passes than the 214 Winslow has caught, and only four have gained more yards than the 2,409 Winslow has gained. It's no wonder that center Jeff Faine was glad to be back with him.

"He has a great attitude, a great work ethic and he's a great athlete," said Faine, who played alongside Winslow in Cleveland in 2004 and 2005. "He's going to be a great addition. I think he'll really fit in well here."

Winslow seems to like the fit. Though he said he enjoyed his time in Cleveland, the University of Miami product said he was excited to be returning to Florida."