Cleveland Browns: Emmanuel Sanders isn’t worth trading for
By Randy Gurzi
Rumors are out there that the Denver Broncos want to trade veteran WR Emmanuel Sanders, the Cleveland Browns however should stay away
There’s no denying the Cleveland Browns roster needs help. While the wide receiver position may have some big names, it’s not immune from that statement.
Of course, there are options out there to improve — or at least try to improve — like the draft and free agency. There’s also going to be trades as teams with high-priced vets are looking to move on for salary cap reasons. Cleveland currently has more cap space than anyone, so when that’s couple with their massive needs, they’re likely to be brought up for a lot of these possible moves.
More from Dawg Pound Daily
- How the Browns could maximize Nick Chubb in 2023
- Can Deshaun Watson get to Patrick Mahomes level for Cleveland Browns?
- 3 Cleveland Browns who should see an expanded role in 2023 and 1 who should not
- Is Marcus Davenport on the Browns radar in 2023?
- 5 Free agents from Super Bowl LVII Cleveland Browns should target
Speaking of such trades, according to Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post, wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders is on the trading block. Some may think it would be wise for the Browns to kick the tires on that possibility, but it’s not.
The first reason for this idea being a bad one is Sander’s age. He will be 31-years old before the season starts and that’s not the direction Cleveland needs to head. They need talent, but not talent on the backend of their career.
Sanders also is coming off his least productive season since 2011. That was just his second season in the NFL as he was still figuring things out with the Pittsburgh Steelers and had just 288 yards receiving. After three-straight 1,000-plus yard seasons in Denver, Sanders had just 555 yards off 47 receptions in 12 games.
The last reason he’s a no from Cleveland is his salary. While again they own more space than anyone, that doesn’t mean it should be thrown around like play money. Sanders currently has a base salary of more than $8 million with a cap hit just under $11 million according to Spotrac.
Next: Top 5 RB targets for Browns in the 2018 NFL Draft
That’s a lot of cash for a guy on the wrong side of 30 coming off his worst NFL Season. So if anyone asks if Cleveland should be interested, just say no.