GREEN BAY — The Green Bay Packers dealt franchise-tagged defensive tackle Corey Williams to the Cleveland Browns Thursday night, kicking off the free-agent signing period by acquiring an additional second-round pick in the April 26 NFL draft.

The new league year officially began at 11:01 p.m. CST Thursday, but the deal had not been announced as of 12:45 a.m. Friday.

First reported by the Washington Post on its Web site, a league source confirmed the trade had been agreed upon and that the Packers would receive the Browns' second-round pick.

The Browns don't have any first-day selections now, having dealt their first-round pick to the Dallas Cowboys — after offering it to the Packers on draft day — to select quarterback Brady Quinn last spring.

Williams will sign the guaranteed one-year, $6.363 million franchise-tag tender, then sign a long-term deal with guaranteed up-front money with the Browns. After the Packers tagged Williams, Tennessee tagged Albert

Haynesworth and Oakland re-signed Tommy Kelly earlier Thursday, the defensive tackle market was largely picked-over, meaning a team in need in the interior defensive line would need to explore trades.

A sixth-round pick in 2004, Williams played in all 18 games last season, including 11 starts, and set a career high with 51 tackles. He also tied his career high in sacks with seven for the second straight year.

Despite the trade, the Packers remain deep at the position with Ryan Pickett, Johnny Jolly, 2007 first-round pick Justin Harrell and the promising Daniel Muir, who made the team as an undrafted free agent last season. Jolly might not be ready when training camp opens in late July because of a shoulder injury suffered Nov. 18. Colin Cole is a restricted free agent but figures to return.

Had a team tried to sign Williams, the Packers could have matched any offer. If they declined, that team would have owed Green Bay two first-round picks — a price no one would have paid for a part-time starter.

Meanwhile, in an interview earlier Thursday night, general manager Ted Thompson confirmed that the team signed tackle Joe Toledo, who was released by Miami on Feb. 12.

Toledo missed all of last season with a foot injury and all of 2006 because of a knee injury.

"Joe's a guy that our scouts had scouted him in college (at Washington) and liked him quite a bit," Thompson said. "He's had a run of bad luck injury-wise in Miami, but we thought he was worth taking a look at."

Thompson also said he intended to make qualifying tender offers to the team's two restricted free agents, Cole and halfback Vernand Morency.