Cleveland Browns had another NFL trade deadline move ready to be made, and it didn’t happen for an ironic reason
It would have been a welcomed move with what the Browns are dealing with.
The Cleveland Browns made just one move at the trade deadline, sending defensive end Joe Tryon-Shoyinka to the Chicago Bears in a late-round pick swap. Sunday’s game against the New York Jets was the first after the deadline, and it was one where the Browns weren’t nearly as active as many expected.
Cleveland’s first post-deadline performance only made it look more questionable that the team didn’t make additional moves. The Browns fell to the Jets 27–20, dropping to 2–7. There’s no sugarcoating it — the Browns are a bad football team with a struggling offense.
Browns were blocked by the team that just beat them at the trade deadline
Former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Adonai Mitchell was sent to the New York Jets prior to the deadline as part of the Sauce Gardner trade. Mitchell was included in that deal because the Jets view him as a young receiver worth developing. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Browns actually had a deal in place to acquire Mitchell, but he ultimately ended up in New York instead.
It had been rumored that Cleveland would look to add at the deadline if the right opportunity arose. Mitchell fit that mold perfectly: a second-year receiver who hadn’t found his footing with the Colts but possessed clear developmental upside. This season, Mitchell has nine receptions for 152 yards across eight games. As a rookie out of Texas last year, he caught 23 passes for 312 yards.
Mitchell was inactive for the Jets on Sunday but is expected to be integrated into their offense soon. Meanwhile, Cleveland’s top pass-catcher this year is rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr., who leads the team with 396 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns.
The Browns’ leading wideout is Jerry Jeudy, who hasn’t produced at the level expected, totaling just 335 yards. Jeudy did have his best game of the season against the Jets, catching six passes for 76 yards and a touchdown.
Had the blockbuster Colts-Jets trade not occurred, the Browns might have landed a young playmaker in Mitchell. While the NFL isn’t a world of what-ifs, this one feels like a missed opportunity for Cleveland, and the irony is that the team that blocked the move just beat them on the field.
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