A player swap for the Browns that makes sense before NFL Trade Deadline
We are nearing the NFL Trade Deadline on Halloween and we have a pretty good idea of who is going to be a buyer and who is going to be a seller already. The Cleveland Browns have playoff aspirations but could use a couple of pieces to shore up some things. One of those things […]
We are nearing the NFL Trade Deadline on Halloween and we have a pretty good idea of who is going to be a buyer and who is going to be a seller already.
The Cleveland Browns have playoff aspirations but could use a couple of pieces to shore up some things. One of those things is left tackle, where Jedrick Wills Jr. has struggled this season.
One possible tackle name out there that could be traded for is Trent Brown of the New England Patriots. Cleveland may be able to get such a deal done by trading a player and keeping important draft picks.
After improving steadily over the first three years of his career, wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones has not been as big of a factor for the Browns in 2023.
So far this season, the former sixth-round pick has six catches for 75 yards. In the Browns’ big win over the San Francisco 49ers, Peoples-Jones did not have a single catch. In every other game outside of against the Tennessee Titans, DPJ has just one catch each game.
Even if it isn’t working great for them yet, the Browns are getting touches to Elijah Moore in that second receiver spot that Peoples-Jones occupied last season. The offense as a whole is struggling right now outside of Amari Cooper in terms of production but Peoples-Jones is a bit behind everyone.
A player-for-player swap makes sense with the possibility that New England could extend DPJ, he’s still just 24 years old and could be a solid part of their future.
If the Browns were to receive Brown from the Patriots, they’d want to work out a short extension with him spending how the season went, since he is in the last year of his deal. A player that the Patriots may not see in the long term vision, so moving him before losing him for nothing is a good idea.
Brown is not at the Pro Bowl talent he once was but he’s playing good ball this season on a really bad team that is going to look a lot different over the next few years.
With Cleveland getting Brown, they would look to trade Wills in the off-season and draft a tackle early to eventually be a starter. Brown is 30 years old and in his ninth season. He’s missed time with injuries, so his career may not be many more years. Brown is a $12.2 million cap charge this season.
In the end, it’s an instant upgrade for the Browns at left tackle for a player that can be replaced within. It’s a win of a deal if it were to come to fruition.
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