BEREA — Brady Quinn never got the chance he thought he deserved with his beloved Browns. Nor the opportunity normally given to someone who entered the NFL with such fanfare.

After a trade Sunday, Quinn’s chance to jump-start his career will have to come in Denver.

Quinn was dealt for backup running back Peyton Hillis, a sixth-round pick in 2011 and a conditional pick in 2012. The move is the latest by the Browns in an overhaul of their quarterback position.

In less than a week, the Browns traded for Seattle backup Seneca Wallace, released Derek Anderson and agreed to a two-year contract with former Carolina Pro Bowler Jake Delhomme. The next move will likely be to draft a quarterback in April’s draft, possibly with the No. 7 pick.

The Browns also traded starting outside linebacker Kamerion Wimbley — the 13th pick in 2006 — to Oakland for a third-round pick in 2010 in a stunning move. New president Mike Holmgren continues to reshape the roster through a series of signings and trades, some of which have been criticized.

Wimbley had a solid 2009 season, posting 6½ sacks and 69 tackles in 15 starts. He started 62 games – missing just one in his career, with the flu – and totaled 26½ sacks and 183 tackles. The Browns haven’t been a good pass-rushing team over the last decade, but Wimbley was their most consistent threat.

Hillis (6-foot-2, 250 pounds) can play fullback and halfback and gives the Browns a bigger option to share carries with Jerome Harrison. Hillis, a seventh-round pick in 2008, has made eight starts and rushed for 397 yards, six touchdowns and a 4.9 average. He has 18 catches for 198 yards and a score.

With a new coaching staff in Denver in 2009, he started twice in 14 games, carrying just 13 times for 54 yards.

Quinn, 25, was expected to be the starter for a decade after the Browns drafted him No. 22 in 2007. He was a national celebrity from Notre Dame, and then-Browns general manager Phil Savage traded a second-round pick in 2007 and a first-rounder in 2008 for the opportunity to draft Quinn.

The move was the buzz of the NFL, but Quinn’s Cleveland career never got off the ground, despite his childhood love of the Browns while growing up near Columbus. A rookie holdout took him out of the running for immediate playing time, then he got stuck behind Anderson, who signed a lucrative deal after a Pro Bowl season in 2007.

Quinn’s first start came midway through 2008 and he lasted just three games before breaking his right index finger and heading to injured reserve. He was declared the winner of a lackluster training camp competition in 2009, but was benched after 10 quarters.

The coaches had turned on him, but reluctantly returned to him when Anderson flopped. Quinn improved to 3-9 as a starter with two wins – including the first over Pittsburgh since 2003 – but injured his foot and missed the final two games.

“I appreciate everything Brady did for us last year and in his three seasons with the Cleveland Browns,” coach Eric Mangini said in the news release. “He is professional in the way he goes about doing his job and worked extremely hard at every aspect of his game. I wish him the best of success in Denver.”

Quinn completed 53.1 percent of his passes for 1,339 yards, eight touchdowns, seven interceptions and a 67.2 rating in nine starts in 2009. Holmgren’s refusal to commit to him as the 2010 starter, then rush to trade him despite a team-friendly contract – $700,000 – shows Holmgren was less than impressed when he watched the film.

Quinn’s arm strength is average, and he was often criticized for a reluctance to throw downfield. But his downfall in 2009 was a lack of accuracy, including midrange and short passes. Those are the staple of the West Coast offense Holmgren favors.

Delhomme agreed to a two-year deal, reportedly worth $7 million in 2010, and could sign it as early as today if he reports for the start of offseason conditioning. He’s coming off a disastrous 2009 season – eight touchdowns, 18 interceptions – but is 58-40 as a starter, was a Pro Bowler in 2005 and took the Panthers to the Super Bowl in 2003. He also has experience in the West Coast offense and could bridge the gap until the quarterback of the future is found.

That was supposed to be Quinn. Instead, he’ll have to resurrect his career at 25 years old and change the perception of him around the league. Incumbent Kyle Orton reportedly will remain the Broncos starter for 2010, with Quinn as the backup.

“I had a wonderful time in Cleveland and I say that because of the fans — the fans were so great and everyone was so welcoming and loyal to me,” Quinn told the Plain Dealer. “Even though I battled through some tough times, I think the fans stuck with me and I can’t thank them enough for all of their support.

“I wish things would’ve worked out differently with Cleveland. I really wanted to be the guy to turn things around and turn the tide, but that’s not the situation I’m faced with at this point. All I can do is move on and look toward the future and look toward Denver at this point.”

Wimbley was a controversial pick in 2006, as Savage chose him over nose tackle Haloti Ngata. The Browns needed a pass rusher and a run stopper, and former coach Romeo Crennel wanted the pass rusher. Ngata went to Baltimore and has starred.

Wimbley burst onto the scene with 11 sacks as a rookie, but slumped to nine over the next two years. He rebounded in 2009, but it wasn’t enough for the Browns to keep him.

The Browns acquired their 12th draft pick in the trade and must feel comfortable with Matt Roth and a combination of Marcus Benard, Scott Fujita, David Bowens and Jason Trusnik at the outside linebacker spots. Fujita, Bowens and Trusnik can also play inside.

“Kamerion is very accepting of the decision that the Browns have made about him,” agent Joe Linta said in an e-mail. “He really enjoyed his time in Cleveland.”

Contact Scott Petrak at 329-7253 or spetrak@chroniclet.com.

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