The Cleveland Browns are in a spot few expected seven games into the 2025 NFL season. At 5-2, the Browns are on the opposite end of where most people projected them to be, and that changes the outlook for the Nov. 10 NFL trade deadline. If someone told you a few months ago that Cleveland wouldn’t be sellers, you probably wouldn’t have believed them.

Now, the Browns look more like buyers, and pass rush is a position where they could use another body. Cleveland has 20 sacks, which is tied for second in the NFL. However, the Browns need more from Jared Verse, who hasn’t recorded a sack yet in a Cleveland uniform. Overall, the pass rush room could use a little more juice.

ESPN recently put together its list of the top 25 players who could be moved before the deadline. Three of those players were named as fits for the Browns, and all three are pass rushers.

Jermaine Johnson II stands out as the top fit for the Browns

Tennessee Titans edge rusher Jermaine Johnson II might be the best fit for Cleveland. The 27-year-old was recently traded to the Titans from the New York Jets to reunite with his former coach, Robert Saleh. Johnson has three sacks and 18 tackles through seven games.

Johnson profiles as a secondary pass rusher. He has 16 sacks over five years, and his best season came in 2023, when he made the Pro Bowl with 7.5 sacks. That was also the only season he played all 17 games.

Adding Johnson would help supplement a pass rush that features Verse, Isaiah McGuire, Sam Williams, and Derek Barnett. He wouldn’t need to be the headliner in Cleveland, and that role suits his game.

Yaya Diaby could be a rental worth chasing

Another fit for the Browns is Tampa Bay Buccaneers outside linebacker Yaya Diaby. Diaby is likely a rental. He has three sacks and 16 tackles through seven games, and he’s piled up 22 sacks over his first four years in the NFL.

At only 27 years old, Diaby would give the Browns more juice off the edge at 6-foot-4, 270 pounds. He’s a player who could step in and start opposite Verse the rest of the way.

The Buccaneers already have their successor to Diaby in David Walker. Keeping Diaby around doesn’t make a whole lot of sense for Tampa Bay considering it isn’t expected to be a playoff team. If the Browns want to go all in on a playoff push, adding a player like Diaby for the stretch run makes sense.

Khalil Mack would bring a proven veteran presence

The last trade fit for Cleveland is nine-time Pro Bowler Khalil Mack, who plays for the 0-6 Los Angeles Chargers. Mack has three sacks in six starts.

He’s on the back end of his career and doesn’t have the same burst off the edge he once did. Still, Mack can win thanks to his advanced technique and overall play strength. Outside of his rookie season in 2014, he has never finished a season with fewer than 5.5 sacks.

Trading for Mack also wouldn’t cost much. The Browns could likely land him for a Day 3 pick if they wanted to. Don’t sleep on what he could bring to a defensive line that’s already producing, either. Mack would add another veteran voice to the room and give the Browns another proven force who might be hungry to get back to the playoffs one more time in his career.

Any of these three players would give the Browns what they’re looking for on the edge, which is why they made the list as fits. Whether Cleveland pulls the trigger on one of them before Nov. 10 remains to be seen.