Browns may have just had a move to make fall right in front of them ahead of the NFL trade deadline
We are one day away from the 2026 NFL trade deadline, and a move that makes sense for the Cleveland Browns may have just became possible.
We’re a day away from the 2026 NFL trade deadline, and the Cleveland Browns enter it with a 5-4 record coming off of a loss to the New Orleans Saints. That puts Cleveland in an awkward spot. It isn’t clear whether the Browns should be buyers, sellers, or stand pat before Tuesday’s deadline.
The Browns have a couple of needs. If they decide to send a player out, WR Jerry Jeudy makes the most sense. On the other side of the ledger, the pass rush is the area that could use a boost.
Browns’ pass rush could use more help
A big part of the issue is that edge rusher Jared Verse has been a disappointment for the Browns this season. Verse has no sacks and limited pressure on the quarterback through nine games. Cleveland also lost pass rusher Alex Wright to an Achilles injury in the preseason, which thinned out the room before the season even started.
No edge rusher on the roster has more than the three sacks Isaiah McGuire has for Cleveland. Defensive tackle Mason Graham leads the team with four sacks.
The production as a unit is still there. The Browns are tied for third in the NFL with 26 sacks through the first nine games. Still, bolstering the pass rush and becoming a more complete room on that side of the ball would help Cleveland win a few more games and make a surprise playoff push.
Jets pass rusher Will McDonald IV wants out
One name just popped up on the trade block. Jets pass rusher Will McDonald IV has informed the team that he wants to be traded, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
McDonald has been a situational player for the Jets this season, but a starter in the past. He has started just two of the nine games he’s played in and has 16 tackles to go along with three sacks for New York, which drafted edge rusher David Bailey high in the draft last year.
McDonald is in the fourth year of his five-year rookie contract. The option for next season has already been picked up and will pay him around $14 million. That isn’t a high number for a productive pass rusher who has 24.5 sacks through his first 3.5 seasons.
The best season of McDonald’s career came in 2024, when he had 10.5 sacks in 17 games. He followed that up with eight sacks in 15 games in 2025. McDonald is a proven pass rusher and a former first-round pick out of Iowa State in the 2023 NFL Draft.
What a Browns trade for McDonald could look like
When it comes to the price, the A to Z Sports NFL Trade Simulator suggests a package of a 2027 seventh-round pick via the Houston Texans and a 2028 sixth-round pick could get a deal done. That would give New York a slight edge in value, and it could be enough for both sides to make the move.
It won’t be easy, as it doesn’t appear New York is eager to honor McDonald’s trade request and move him. If he is indeed available, though, McDonald is a player the Browns should be on before Tuesday’s deadline.
Adding a pass rusher with McDonald’s young track record would give Cleveland another proven body to throw at opposing offenses. We’ll see if the Browns stay put, or end up picking up the phone.
