Why Browns should get ahead of things and trade Myles Garrett

You’d have to think that all but does it for the chances of a trade before Nov. 4, but crazier things have happened, and if the Browns were smart, they’d bite the bullet and get a haul for Garrett sooner rather than later.

Why trading Myles Garrett is in Cleveland’s best interest

If you’re a Browns fan, of course, you don’t want to see Myles Garrett leave Cleveland. That being said, when you take a step back and evaluate where the franchise stands, dealing away a soon-to-be 30-year-old pass-rusher for a massive haul makes too much sense.

The Browns are unlikely to ever be serious contenders again during Garrett’s prime, and it’s pretty clear that even with a year-in, year-out DPOY candidate, this team isn’t close. 

Trading three first-round picks for Deshaun Watson set everything back in Cleveland, and they need to continue recouping draft capital to speed up this rebuilding process. 

There is no better way to do that than trading Garrett, who would command three first-round picks at a minimum, which the Philadelphia Eagles are reportedly already willing to pay.

Knowing that, general manager Andrew Berry can create a bidding war between a handful of contenders to hit a home run of a return, spurring the Browns to turn the corner much quicker than they would if they hold onto Garrett for years to come. 

His recently signed contract extension often comes up as a rebuttal in these conversations, but Spotrac took a deeper dive, and it is an extremely movable deal if Cleveland is willing to eat some dead cap.

It’s not an easy decision for Berry and the front office to make, but given the current state of the Browns and their future outlook with Garrett in the fold, the way to maximize such value is to trade him, either now or this offseason.