Packers and Browns can benefit from NFL trade deadline deal that would send former first-round pick to Green Bay
We are less than two weeks away from the NFL trade deadline, and teams are starting to understand what they will do for the rest of the regular season. The Green Bay Packers are 5-2, even with quarterback Jordan Love missing two games. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Browns are 1-6, and Deshaun Watson is out for […]
We are less than two weeks away from the NFL trade deadline, and teams are starting to understand what they will do for the rest of the regular season.
The Green Bay Packers are 5-2, even with quarterback Jordan Love missing two games. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Browns are 1-6, and Deshaun Watson is out for season with an Achilles injury. These teams are in obviously different paths, so a trade becomes more feasible.
And the name to watch here is cornerback Greg Newsome II.
Proposed trade:
- Packers get: Greg Newsome II
- Browns get: 2025 fifth-round pick
Why it makes sense for the Browns
Brandon Little, A to Z Sports Browns writer and Assistant Editor
At 1-6 on the season, the Cleveland Browns have to think hard about sending multiple players out the door like they did with Amari Cooper. The Browns likely don't need to go through a whole rebuild, but they need to continue to add draft compensation for the future with an aging roster.
Greg Newsome II is a player who has struggled for the Browns but has proven throughout his career so far that he is a good player with versatility. Cleveland has lined Newsome up in the slot just over half of the time while playing as a boundary corner if he isn't in the slot.
If there is one area the Browns have been able to assess talent it is at cornerback. Denzel Ward is a staple of the defense and one of the very best cornerbacks in the league and Martin Emerson Jr. is a good young player even if he has struggled some this season.
Trading Newsome should be on the table if there is a suitor available. Cleveland opted to pick up the fifth-year option, so Newsome is guaranteed to make $13.37 million next season. Cleveland could save some cash if they were to move him and they have options to go in the slot if they choose to go that route.
Cameron Mitchell and Myles Harden (IR) are both players Cleveland could look to spend time in the slot in 2025 and beyond. The draft and free agency both are there for Cleveland to add replacements as well.
Newsome has been a high-energy player that fans have been torn on lately. While it may not happen, the Browns have to at least weigh the option heavily of moving him at the trade deadline if a team offers an acceptable return.
Why it makes sense for the Packers
Wendell Ferreira, A to Z Sports Packers writer and Division Editor
The Packers have a real long-term need at cornerback. The team didn't pick up Eric Stokes' fifth-year option, and Jaire Alexander is still playing at an extremely high level but is getting older. Keisean Nixon is a role player, and maybe the new coaching staff doesn't trust Carrington Valentine as much as we would have expected.
Newsome is a player that general manager Brian Gutekunst really liked in the 2021 pre-draft process, but the Browns took him three picks earlier, so the Packers ended up with Stokes. After a solid rookie season, though, Stokes has handled a series of injuries that also affected his performance when he is available. At this point, it's hard to trust him, and he's been benched forcing the Packers to move Nixon to the boundary and rookie safety Javon Bullard to the slot.
The draft compensation here is fine. The problem is that Newsome has $13 million in guaranteed money for 2025, which certainly hinders his market value.
But Newsome is a player with positional versatility, something important to play in Jeff Hafley's defensive scheme, he has a high ceiling and is still 24 years old. It's a consequential move for sure, but doing it for a premium position like cornerback makes sense.
This has been a down season for Newsome compared to what has been a solid career in the NFL, but it's fair to argue that the Packers would be able to extract more out of him than the Browns have, especially considering how hard it is for defensive players to compete when the other side of the ball is so inept.
NFL trade deadline tracker: 2024 moves and reactions
Deadline is on November 5