Cleveland Browns Tried to Make Another Major Trade During NFL Draft

The Cleveland Browns were certainly very busy wheeling and dealing during the NFL Draft, as they traded down from the No. 2 overall pick and also swung a trade to land Shedeur Sanders on Day 3.

But apparently, the Browns nearly completed another major deal, as they attempted to acquire another first-round pick to acquire Oregon Ducks offensive tackle Josh Conerly, via Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.

Conerly ultimately landed with the Washington Commanders at No. 29, and Cleveland then went on to select UCLA Bruins linebacker Carson Schweisinger with the 33rd overall pick.

Oddly enough, the Browns did not take a single offensive lineman for the rest of the draft, which is definitely odd considering they so aggressively wanted to nab one toward the back end of Round 1.

Cleveland encountered a bevy of issues in the trenches this past season, and while injuries certainly played a major role in the Browns' offensive line struggles, it was also a case of some of their top linemen merely aging.

As a result, some expected that Cleveland would overhaul its offensive line this offseason, but instead, the Browns have mostly stood pat in that department.

The problem for Cleveland is that it entered the offseason with so many holes that it would have been impossible for the Browns to patch all of them in one fell swoop. Plus, they had very limited financial flexibility, so they had to rely almost solely on the draft.

Cleveland went just 3-14 in 2024. We'll see if the Browns can show signs of legitimate improvement next year.