Cleveland Browns predicted to trade for Joe Thuney

The Cleveland Browns are in need of a right guard and one writer believes that they could find their starter in a trade with New England for Joe Thuney

A lot of attention has been paid to the two tackle positions for the Cleveland Browns, but they weren’t the only sore spots for them in 2019 along the offensive line. In addition to both the left and right tackles playing below par, the Browns struggled at right guard.

After boasting one of the best interior lines in the NFL in 2018, former general manager John Dorsey decided to trade Kevin Zeitler to the New York Giants in exchange for Olivier Vernon. The problem was, they didn’t have a good replacement as Austin Corbett and Eric Kush each failed and while Wyatt Teller was an improvement over them, he may not be the long-term solution.

In order to find that long-term answer, John Breech of CBS Sports predicts the Browns could swing a trade with the New England Patriots for Joe Thuney, who was recently tagged by New England.

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Breech doesn’t think the Pats want to pay the nearly $15 million Thuney is due and suggests tight end David Njoku and a second-round pick could get the deal between the two teams done.

"“Belichick would probably prefer NOT to pay out $14.8 million to Thuney, which is why the Patriots coach could be open to a potential trade, and that’s where Cleveland comes in. When it comes to skill players, the Browns have a loaded offense, but they could definitely stand to add some talent to their line. If I’m the Browns, I’m calling up Belichick and offering him David Njoku along with a 2020 second-round pick.” — Breech, CBS Sports"

A third-round pick out of North Carolina State in 2016, Thuney was named to the All-Pro Second-Team in 2019 — he was also a member of the Pro Football Writer’s of America All-Rookie Team in 2016.

Listed at 6-foot-5 and 308-pounds, Thuney has been a model of consistency for New England. He’s started every game for them since being drafted without ever missing a game. He’s always stepped up for them when asked and was praised for how he held Aaron Donald in check for the Patriots in Super Bowl LIII — which was his second championship with the team.

The question here is whether or not the Browns would be fine paying Thuney the big contract. While he can still negotiate a long-term deal, the $14.8 million is likely to be a starting point in those discussions.

Cleveland has the money in the cap to make that work but they could be tempted to use the draft to find their replacement at right guard.