Cleveland Browns: The blockbuster trade John Dorsey didn’t accept

Recently it has been reported that the Los Angeles Rams tried to acquire Cleveland Browns guard Joel Bitonio before settling for acquiring Austin Corbett. Here’s what a Browns roster could have looked like if John Dorsey would’ve dealt Joel Bitonio to L.A.

As reported by Adam Schefter, the Rams offered the Cleveland Browns cornerback Marcus Peters in exchange for offensive guard Joel Bitonio. Marcus Peters has had a pretty interesting career so far in the NFL, as he was drafted by John Dorsey and the Chiefs back in 2015.

During his tenure with the Chiefs, he went to two pro bowls, was on the all-pro team his sophomore year, and won the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

After some drama within the organization and the man himself, Andy Reid, not being 100 percent on signing Peters to a long term deal, he was dealt to the Rams in 2018.

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Now, only a year and a half into his tenure with the Rams, he has been sent to the Ravens, and almost the Browns. There is no doubt he is a talented player, but to someone not involved in the situation it seems he has some character issues.

Joel Bitonio, on the other hand, has been a staple for this Browns organization his entire career. The one-time pro-bowler is entering his sixth season with the Cleveland Browns, he has emerged as a fan favorite. The Browns felt good enough in investing six years and $51,164,777 into Joel Bitonio, with $23,664,777 of that guaranteed.

So, when comparing the two players’ individual histories in the NFL, it makes sense why Browns general manager John Dorsey would have rejected this straight-up swap. It also makes sense when comparing the rosters.

If you’ve watched a Cleveland Browns football game this season, then you know that the Browns offensive line has been underperforming. The offensive line has two good starters in left guard Joel Bitonio and center J.C. Tretter, and outside that, they have been pretty questionable.

The team has been trying to make a move to acquire more offensive line help, so it wouldn’t make sense for the Browns to trade away arguably their best offensive lineman for a cornerback.

The Browns cornerbacks have been pretty dinged up this season with starters Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams out since week two.

However, the backups for the unit have been playing surprisingly good considering the circumstances. Sure, a defensive back unit consisting of Denzel Ward, Marcus Peters, Damarious Randall, and Greedy Williams would’ve been insanely fun to watch, but stockpiling talent at the cornerback position at the expense of the offensive line would have been detrimental to the team.

In all, this trade is interesting to think about, but would have been bad for the Browns organization. Instead, Dorsey flipped backup interior offensive lineman Austin Corbett to the Rams in exchange for a 5th round pick.

Not accepting the Marcus Peters trade and recovering some loss from the Corbett investment should be positive things for fans to look to for the future of the Cleveland Browns, as it is clear Dorsey is serious about fixing this offensive line and is willing to not build a team of just “his guys”.

With nine days until the NFL trade deadline, hopefully we see the Browns involved in talks for another blockbuster trade, centered around the team acquiring a stud offensive lineman, instead of giving one up.