Not necessarily a fire sale
It is no secret that the Cleveland Browns have had issues this year. The offense has sputtered with very little change each week. And now that QB Deshaun Watson is gone for the year, it is almost a carbon copy of the quarterback issues the team suffered last season with multiple players taking the helm in arguably the most important position on the field.
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With the season almost certainly lost even before the halfway mark, with a record of 2-6-0, the franchise just might be inclined to dump some of their players and grab some draft picks (or maybe a bag of footballs).
The NFL trade deadline is fast approaching on November 5 with a cutoff at 4:00 pm Eastern time.
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The Browns are one team that seem to be in the “seller” category. WR Amari Cooper was the first player to be shipped off when he was sent to the Buffalo Bills along with a sixth-round pick for a 2025 third-round selection plus a 2026 seventh-round pick. GM Andrew Berry could see the value in dumping other high-priced players and eating some prorated money to gain more leverage with additional cap space.
Cleveland certainly needs some new players. With the unexpected win over the Baltimore Ravens, the franchise is not out of making the playoffs this year believe it or not, but it makes zero sense to make trades to bring in help for a handful of games. Berry just might believe that the most prudent undertaking would be to take the entire off-season and make calculated decisions on talent and contracts and where they fit money-wise.
There are several players that the team could consider and they would certainly have numerous potential trade partners.
DE Myles Garrett is the biggest name of interest and could choose his new home. He may request going to a playoff-caliber team with a chance to get a ring, which he deserves and may never sniff another playoff season with the Browns. Garrett was ranked fifth by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2024, up from 20th the year before. He is currently in a five-year, $125 million contract extension he inked in the summer of 2020 and will have a cap hit of $19.7 million next year.
CB Denzel Ward is another player Berry could have a line out the door wanting his services and lose another high salary at the same time. But Ward still has good coverage skills and is just 27 years old. He is coming off another Pro Bowl year, his third. In 2022 Ward signed a five-year extension worth $100.5 million with $71.25 million guaranteed, so the ink is still fresh on that deal with a ton of money the team will give him regardless. In a league where good coverage corners are difficult to find, then keep, moving Ward wouldn’t make much sense.
Ward suffered another concussion in Week 8.
WR Elijah Moore makes more sense to move although he would get a minimal return. The bummer is that Berry traded away a second-round draft pick for his services. He was a stud in college but has been sub-par since he entered the NFL including his time with Cleveland but finally had a good game against the Ravens. His cap hit is $3.116 million as his contract ends this year. Perhaps the San Francisco 49ers would be interested since they lost Brandon Aiyuk for the season.
This off-season is certainly primed for a shake-up. Personnel changes are certainly coming sooner than later this spring.
Here are three athletes the Browns could agree to move before this year’s trade deadline. Each player is not broken and completely healthy, have a lot of playing time that remains in their future, and would plug-and-play from Day 1 with their new clubs so there is value that is worth Cleveland’s time.
DE Za’Darius Smith
Smith was signed as a pass-rushing demon with huge sack numbers in previous seasons. However, with Cleveland, he had 5.5 sacks all of last season and four so far this year. This is a guy who has had 13.5, 12.5, 10, and 8.5 sack seasons.
On March 13, 2024, Smith, age 32, signed a two-year contract extension with the Browns. His cap hit this year is $5.235 million which goes up to $9.433 million in 2025. Is Cleveland getting that type of production out of him?
His stats for this year for eight games are: 22 total tackles, seven pressures, five sacks, one knockdown, two hurries, zero missed tackles, five QB hits, three tackles for loss, and zero forced fumbles.
The good news for the Browns is that Ogbo Okoronkwo is more than capable to step in and Isaiah McGuire is an up-and comer along the defensive line. Ogbo had a terrific game against the Ravens.
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Potential suitors include the Washington Commanders who are looking for a bit more pass rush, the Detroit Lions with the loss of their sack master Aidan Hutchison, and the Atlanta Falcons which has just generated six total sacks this year.
The Browns should be seeking to replenish with rookie contracts which are much cheaper with hand-picked players while getting younger. ZDS would bring important draft capital.
CB Greg Newsome
This is a player whose coverage skills just haven’t progressed as first thought when he was taken in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft. The idea was a guy who could go man on any receiver, which is the premise of DC Jim Schwartz’s defensive strategy. But with Newsome, his man continually wins. The fact that M.J. Emerson came in his rookie season and bumped Newsome from starting outside corner to the slot says a lot.
The Browns did pick up his fifth-year option this past spring which kept him in-house this year and makes him very tradeable. He has a cap hit of $4.056 million this year, but his fifth year will be paid $13.377 million.
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Newsome has not put up good numbers this year with just 20 tackles, two pass defenses, and zero interceptions. He did not play well against Baltimore and allowed another touchdown pass to be completed without any type of defense whatsoever.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have playoff aspirations but their secondary remains an issue currently ranked 28th against the pass. The Green Bay Packers are another possible trade partner who are desperate for cornerback help. Finally, the Washington Commanders are a team that features defense but has struggled with their defensive secondary.
Despite not playing that well this year, perhaps Berry can spit-shine Newsome and place a pretty bow on him long enough to sell him on his first-round status and the fact that he is just 24 years old in order to get something nice in return.
Cam Mitchell and injured rookie Myles Harden are serviceable replacements and a lot cheaper.
OG Wyatt Teller
The truth is this team wants Teller. The truth is this team needs Teller. The truth is he cannot remain healthy.
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He is 29 years old which we all know the 30-mark is the beginning of the end for most offensive linemen – so there’s that. When Teller is healthy, there are few better. But that is the issue. He is at the point where he has an injury here and there and misses games to which the offense has to scramble for his temporary replacement. Which is not his fault. Not his fault at all.
Not to mention he is at the tail end of a four-year extension he signed in 2021 worth $56.8 million. His cap hit this year is $11.6 million, but that jumps to $21.9 million next season. Now would be the optimal time to move him. Rookie Zak Zinter was drafted in Round 3 and has been his replacement for the four games he has missed this year. This transition was bound to happen sooner than later and may have already begun.
Just like Kevin Zeitler keeps finding work, Teller will improve somebody’s interior right away and give them Pro Bowl status. But for the Browns, they just may rather have a draft pick or two instead.