Cleveland Browns: Will Olivier Vernon trade push Emmanuel Ogbah out?

With the Cleveland Browns trading for defensive end Olivier Vernon, will the Browns move on from last year’s starting defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah?

Cleveland Browns general manager John Dorsey once again showed that he is not afraid to make big moves before the new league year begins.

Last off-season, it was trading for Tyrod Taylor, Damarious Randall, and Jarvis Landry. This off-season, it was signing Kareem Hunt and Jaelen Strong, and most recently trading for Olivier Vernon.

With the addition of Vernon, the Browns now have two legitimate pass rushers at defensive end. By pairing Vernon with Myles Garrett, the idea is the Browns’ edge rushers will make life miserable for quarterbacks, creating opportunities for turnovers in the secondary.

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It’s obvious that the Browns think highly of Vernon because of who they traded away to bring him to Cleveland. Kevin Zeitler was one of the best guards, and offensive linemen, in the NFL last season. If the Browns were willing to move Zeitler to bring in Vernon (and to get Austin Corbett in the starting lineup), then they must be confident Vernon will make an immediate impact.

However, one of the potential fall outs of Vernon’s addition is the Browns moving on from last year’s starting defensive end, Emmanuel Ogbah. With Vernon now on the roster, Ogbah is likely going to be pushed out of the starting role and forced to battle for snaps in a rotation.

In his three seasons with the Browns, Ogbah has never been able to play up to his second round draft status. The 25-year-old has dealt with a variety of injuries since his rookie season that have made it hard for him to make an impact.

At the beginning of last season, Ogbah suffered a high ankle sprain that forced him to miss two games. Although returning and playing the rest of the season, Ogbah was not the same player, potentially because of the effects of the ankle sprain.

In 14 games last season, Ogbah made 40 total tackles, three tackles for loss, three sacks, and eight quarterbacks. He was able to swat down multiple passes at the line of scrimmage, recording eight passes defended.

Ogbah has proven that he is better against the run than he is getting to the quarterback. The Browns need the talent up front to defend the run because they were one of the worst teams against the run. But they also need their front to get to the quarterback frequently.

Although the Browns need more depth along the defensive line and keeping Ogbah would make a lot of sense, Dorsey and the Browns front office may prefer to see what they can get in return for the young defensive end. Dorsey has shown that he is not afraid to move on from players acquired by the previous regime, even if they play a large role on the team.

Ogbah has already been connected to a trade this off-season. When the Browns were reportedly discussing a deal for New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., Ogbah’s name was brought up as part of a package for Beckham.

Ogbah is also on the final year of his rookie deal. Instead of signing him to an extension at the end of the season, Dorsey may want to get a player that has more years of control, especially if he does not plan on re-signing Ogbah at the end of next season.

For a young defensive end entering the final year of his rookie contract, there should be a good amount of teams interested in adding his services. If Dorsey is able to create a bidding war for Ogbah and land an impact player or an early round draft pick in return, then it would be expected that he would be willing to move Ogbah.

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It may go against Dorsey’s plan of building a deep defensive line, but Ogbah being traded seems more likely than him being on the roster at the beginning of the regular season. By moving Ogbah, Dorsey would be able to give one of his “guys” more snaps.

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