The Cleveland Browns‘ season appears all but over after they suffered their fifth straight loss and a season-ending Achilles injury to Deshaun Watson during a Week 7 contest against the Cincinnati Bengals.
And while the developments have multiple major implications for the future of the franchise, one thing is for certain — the NFL vultures are already circling. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported as much on Monday, October 21, writing that the team has already fielded calls on star defensive end Myles Garrett.
“Speaking of trades, the Browns will get phone calls now based on their 1–6 record and the fact that they just offloaded [Amari] Cooper,” Breer wrote. “I don’t think they’ll move Myles Garrett (but some fishing has taken place; anyone can call), Denzel Ward or Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. But guys such as Za’Darius Smith or Jack Conklin would have value to others and could be more realistic targets.”
Browns in Tough Spot With Expensive, Underperforming Roster
Cleveland’s front office is in an interesting position with regards to its pricey roster.
The team has spent a ton of money and, in many ways, hamstrung itself for years to come in an effort to try and open a Super Bowl window and play for now. The closest the franchise has come since its disastrous trade and subsequently disastrous contract for Watson is earning a Wildcard berth into last season’s playoffs, from which it was quickly dispatched by the Houston Texans in an embarrassing blowout defeat.
At 1-6, the time has come for the Browns to offload what onerous contracts they can for draft capital in an effort to rebuild beginning next offseason. However, the team must be careful that it doesn’t give away too much, as the roster will still be expensive in 2025 regardless and the futures of general manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski are likely tied to whether Cleveland can compete in a meaningful way next year.
Garrett is on a $125 million contract that runs through 2026 with a cap hit that averages around $20 million annually over the next two seasons. However, given that he’s the reigning Defensive Player of the Year at a premier position, that deal is actually a pretty good value for the Browns.
Moving off their best player, who is on a decent contract considering his production and the pay scale at the position elsewhere in the league, could be a unit killer for a defense that was the NFL’s best just one year ago.
That said, if a team came correct with a couple of first-round draft assets — and more — for the 28-year-old Garrett, it might be an offer the Browns couldn’t refuse.
Browns Likely to Trade More Players Ahead of NFL Deadline
In any case, Cleveland can’t afford to continue treading water and needs to do something about a team in disarray that is missing the younger, cheaper and often talented assets that exist on most other rosters due to how much draft capital the franchise forfeited in the Watson trade in March 2022.
Because of that, Browns fans should expect to see some more roster sell-offs ahead of the November 5 trade deadline. That, in turn, is going to mean more pain and losing this season as Cleveland navigates a strong AFC North Division.
