The Cleveland Browns dealt their last three first-round picks in disastrous fashion, but the tragedy of the Deshaun Watson trade renders the wagering of one more top selection in 2025 seem relatively low-risk by comparison.
Cleveland immediately threw its hat in the ring when the San Francisco 49ers gave wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk the green light to seek a trade, and trying to get in the mix for Dallas Cowboys star CeeDee Lamb now would just be a grander version of the same idea.
Lamb and the Cowboys remain locked in negotiations over a contract extension, which theoretically opens the door for the Browns to reach out to owner Jerry Jones with an offer. A deal centered around Cleveland’s first-round pick in next year’s draft, a second-round selection in 2026 and running back Nick Chubb could get a real conversation started.
That said, the Browns must consider that Lamb’s market value is $34 million annually over a four-year contract ($136 million total). But he also led the NFL in receptions last year with 135, which complemented career-highs of 1,749 yards and 12 TDs.
CeeDee Lamb’s Contract Demands Could Decrease Trade Cost for Browns
Lamb is one of the best handful of wide receivers in the league, earning All-Pro honors in each of the past two campaigns as he heads into just his age-25 season.
Insiders like ESPN’s Bill Barnwell thought that one of Lamb’s counterparts, Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings, was capable of attracting offers this offseason of up to two first-round picks and another asset — perhaps a third draft selection in one of the middle rounds or a veteran starter.
However, any team dealing for Lamb is looking at committing to a multiyear extension worth north of $33 million annually.
“My understanding is [the current offer is] around $33 million, and for Lamb, that’s still not good enough,” Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reported August 17. “The top of the market is $35 million with Justin Jefferson, so he wants that to come up. And the structure, I am told, via sources familiar with Lamb’s thinking, needs to be worked on as well; cash flow guarantees and how that will be structured on the front half of the deal.”
As leverage for an opposing negotiator, Lamb’s salary demands could bring his trade value down slightly compared to Jefferson’s — hence a first- and a second-rounder, plus Chubb, rather than two firsts and a player in the aforementioned pitch.
Browns general manager Andrew Berry already got the better of the Cowboys in another trade for a big-name wide receiver, landing Amari Cooper for a fifth-round pick and a sixth-round swap back in 2022.
Cowboys Have Running Back Problem That Calls for Upgrade Like Nick Chubb
Given that Cooper could serve as at least a semi-adequate place-filler for Lamb in Dallas, it makes some sense to include him in a deal rather than Chubb.
That said, Jones and the Cowboys essentially salary dumped Cooper to Cleveland two years ago. And while that has proven an obvious miscalculation, it’s unlikely Dallas would want Cooper in the final year of his contract in 2024. If the organization didn’t want to pay him long-term then, it isn’t going to do so now.
Beyond that, the Cowboys have serious questions at the running back position with less than three weeks until the season opener against the Browns in Northeast Ohio on September 8.
Running back Ezekiel Elliott returned to Dallas’ roster this offseason on a one-year deal worth $2 million. The reunion took place following one go-round with the New England Patriots in 2023, during which he started only five games and amassed career-lows of 642 rushing yards and 3 TDs on a paltry 3.5 yards per carry average. The Cowboys’ depth chart currently lists Elliott as the No. 1 running back as he heads into his age-29 campaign.
Nick Chubb Offers Potentially Big Upside to Any Trade Partner
Meanwhile, Chubb is coming off of a catastrophic knee injury. However, he is a year younger than Elliott and has been far better in recent seasons.
Chubb earned Pro Bowl honors in four consecutive campaigns before he hurt his knee in Week 2 of last year. By contrast, Elliott hasn’t been a Pro Bowler since 2019 and has eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards only once in the last four campaigns.
Chubb also recently took a pay cut to less than $2.3 million, which offers the Cowboys potentially huge upside if he returns in a few weeks at full strength. The running back will also be an unrestricted free agent next spring, and Dallas could be first in line to extend him off of a quality comeback.
