Why Brian Thomas Jr. could be perfect trade target for the Cleveland Browns

The Jacksonville Jaguars have been receiving lots of calls on wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr.

The 23-year-old has been somewhat lackluster in his second season with the team. After a Pro Bowl worthy rookie season, spotlighted by 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns, his usage rate and receiving success rate has dropped immensely.

According to many reports, the front office is listening to calls from team's around the league that are interested in the high-ceiling wideout.

And the Cleveland Browns better be in that call history.

The Browns have one of the least efficient wide receiver rooms in the NFL through eight games on the season. While they have bounced between a veteran quarterback in Joe Flacco and rookie signal caller in Dillon Gabriel, those receiving the ball haven't been able to gain a consistent footing.

Outside of tight ends David Njoku and Harold Fannin Jr., everyone else has had little impact on Sunday's. Wideout Jerry Jeudy has just over 250 receiving yards and a 31.5% success rate, rookie Saiah Bond has 123 yards and a 26.7% success rate and Jamari Thrash has 107 yards and a 57.1% success rate.

Cedric Tillman, who's played in just four games this season, has the only two touchdown passes caught by wide receivers on the roster. Every other receiving touchdown has gone to tight ends or running backs.

There's no doubt Cleveland needs to address the current wide receiver play and with the trade deadline just a day away, they need to make a splash, especially if they want to build a winning system for rookie quarterbacks to thrive in.

So, why Brian Thomas Jr.?

Thomas Jr. isn't working out with the Jaguars this season. He currently is one of the leaders in dropped passes in the NFL this season and the chemistry with quarterback Trevor Lawrence seems to be up in the air.

He currently has 60 targets from Lawrence, but just 30 receptions, 420 yards and one touchdown. However, he is averaging 14.0 yards per reception, showing that break-neck speed and elusiveness that made him so special last season.

His high volume of 60 targets leads the Jaguars, but he has lowest catch rate of any member of the team outside of tight Johnny Mundt, who comes in at 40%. For reference, he's only been targeted 10 times this season and caught four balls.

These struggles are not alarm-sounding though.

In his first year in the league he did not have these issues, showing that this might just be a sputter for the second-year wideout that will pass.

But it can sometimes only pass if things change, making it obvious that a solution may be in the form of parting ways.

In order to land a player like Thomas Jr., the Browns would have to give up a pretty penny. Recent rumors have swirled with high-profile picks being involved, with some mock trades putting a first rounder in the mix.

While Cleveland does have the draft capitol, especially in 2026, to land a player like Thomas Jr., some may say that giving up a first or second rounder is too much.

However, if the Browns' front office is truly wanting to see either Gabriel or rookie Shedeur Sanders succeed at quarterback, they have to build a winning team around him.

Its obvious that the current wide receiver corp is not ready to be a starting-calibre group, outside of Jeudy, so bringing in Thomas Jr. would help to bring balance to the equation. His speed and athleticism would be a great counter to the Jeudy and play Bond and Thrash more limited reps.

This also presents a no-excuse scenario for whoever is at quarterback for Cleveland, especially if they were to have two dynamic route runners.

Its no surprise a trade for Thomas Jr. may not end up happening, but at the very least, the hope is there that Cleveland is at least calling and attempting to build up the offense before the trade deadline hits.