Willis McGahee replaces Trent Richardson on Browns' roster

Willis McGahee is coming a broken leg and torn MCL suffered in Week 11 last season. (Joe Mahoney/AP)

After trading away Trent Richardson, the Cleveland Browns wasted little time nabbing his replacement. Ex-Bronco Willis McGahee signed with the team on Thursday after passing a physical, the NFL Network's Jeff Darlington reported.

McGahee "plans to play Sunday," per Darlington, but we'll likely have to wait to see if the Browns are ready to rush him out there against Minnesota on three days prep. If he does not suit up, the Browns will choose between former Raven Bobby Rainey and Chris Ogbonnaya to handle the running back duties.

The 31-year-old McGahee posted 1,199 yards rushing for the Broncos in 2011 and was on his way to another 1,000-plus yard season in '12 before suffering a broken leg and torn MCL. The Broncos released McGahee this summer, reportedly because he still was not back to 100 percent after those injuries.

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If he is back to full strength, however, he should see plenty of opportunities in the reworked Cleveland backfield -- Brian Hoyer will start at QB on Sunday, in place of an injured Brandon Weeden.

The Browns' decision to cast off Richardson was a shocking one, but a league scout offered a bit of an explanation to the NFL Network's Bucky Brooks: "Scout told me that the RB is not necessarily a valued commodity in [head coach Rob Chudzinksi's] system," Brooks wrote on Twitter. "Told me Chud could see it 'like changing a tire.'"