Three trades the Cleveland Browns should make at NFL trade deadline

During the bye week, the Browns have plenty to try to figure out. A golden opportunity has presented itself though, with the trade deadline coming up on November 4th. 

Cleveland would have the time to make some deals now, and get the new roster to adjust without being thrown straight into the fire. The Browns already made splashes by trading Joe Flacco and Greg Newsome, and shouldn’t be shy now. Here are three players who the Browns should consider trading.

Jerome Ford

Ford is the odd man out in the Browns’ running back room. Before Quinshon Judkins could play, rookie Dylan Sampson heavily outplayed Ford in week one. It looked like the rest of the season would be played with Judkins as the starter, Sampson as the backup and Ford as a rotational piece.

Instead, over the next few weeks Ford found his way onto the field more consistently than Sampson. Especially in third-and-long situations, something the offense experiences a lot. 

Ford is an excellent pass blocker, and has good hands for checkdowns, but lacks the speed or agility to make a play after the catch. Ford has always been good for an occasional explosive play, but struggles when he’s relied on more consistently.

The other roles Ford has been in is as a kick returner and a red zone weapon. The special teams haven’t been great. Ford isn’t bad there, but the drop off between him and a young wide receiver wouldn’t be drastic. In the red zone, the Browns are desperate for a power back. Judkins has been too small to punch touchdowns in often, and the Browns don’t have the quarterback for a sneak or tush push.

The Browns should take the chance to find someone who can bulldoze their way forward for one yard.

Moving off of Ford would be the right decision in Cleveland. It would force the offense to begin bringing Sampson in as the pass-catching back, where he has been consistently more explosive. Sampson needs more reps as a blocker, and more chances to show what he’s capable of in the open field.

Ford may not be able to catch much value in the market, but there are still teams beat up at the running back positions (LA Chargers or Arizona Cardinals). If the opportunity is there, Cleveland needs to take it. 

Wyatt Teller

The offensive line hasn’t been good, and Teller is just getting older. It’s a contract year for him, and seems unlikely the Browns will be bringing him back. 

The Browns drafted Zak Zinter in the second round of last season, and brought in Teven Jenkins in free agency. Jenkins is on just a one year deal though. The Browns might as well see what they have in those two guards, and it’s also better to get value for a player that won’t be back next season anyways.

David Njoku

The Browns have a serious decision to make with Njoku, and it will really reveal where the front office believes this team is right now. Njoku needs a new contract, and the Browns don’t have much money to give.

They already opted to send out Newsome for a similar issue, he was facing a contract year and rather than paying him, they got some value with a new, cheaper corner.

The Browns already have a new, cheaper tight end in rookie Harold Fannin Jr. Fannin leads the team in yards and catches this season, being a safety net for both Flacco and Dillon Gabriel. Njoku hasn’t been bad, being second on the team in both those stats, but he’s still been outplayed by the rookie.

Now Cleveland needs to be honest, is there enough money free to lock Njoku up for the next few seasons before the trade deadline hits, and would it even be worth it to keep an aging tight end on a team that may not be competitive soon?

If the answer is no to either question, Cleveland should look to bring in value. Njoku is one of the few players who will bring serious value in the trade market. It would hurt the fan base to lose one of Cleveland’s best pass catchers since they returned, but if the value is there, it may be too hard to pass up.