Rumors heated up late Wednesday night on the Trent Williams front. Are the Cleveland Browns looking for their left tackle in other places than the draft?
You all may be tired of hearing of this now, but it looks like soon there may be no more fighting it. While it appears certain left tackle Trent Williams is on his way out of Washington, the question remains is he headed to the Cleveland Browns?
After Williams was extremely vocal about wanting out of his current situation, the news has remained stagnant in moving him.
Likely because the Redskins wanted too much in compensation and Williams wanted a huge contract extension, he wasn’t worthy of.
From the IG story tonight of #Redskins LT Trent Williams, who’s on the #Browns trade radar. What does it mean? 🤷♀️ pic.twitter.com/NNnVWqlqrE
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) April 23, 2020
Let’s sit back and re-evaluate the situation. Even if you believe trading for Williams is crazy, this close to the draft the ask for Williams is likely draft pick No. 74 and possibly a later pick in 2021.
What are the chances the Browns draft an All-Pro caliber player at that pick? Yes, Williams has injury concerns, but being off the field for a year to heal properly may be just what he needed. Rob Gronkowski is in the same boat, and I’ll see is the excitement that he is now headed to Tampa Bay.
Also, if Williams is set on getting out of a bad situation what’s to say he won’t sign a shorter-term contract? If the Browns could lock Williams up in a contract like Jack Conklin (likely a few million more), they immediately improve their offensive line and keep cap space flexibility moving forward.
If healthy, which you must believe after not playing in 2019, Williams is a better performer than any of the top-four offensive line prospects. Don’t forget the kicker in this scenario, the Browns STILL have pick no. 10 in their pocket.
They can now trade back, draft Ezra Cleveland who they are so high on and let him develop for a year or two before he needs to play. He could even spend a few years at right guard learning the speed of the NFL.
There are risks with any moves in the NFL, and yes Williams may be slightly riskier than some. But fans can’t sit back and act like these four 20-year old kids are going to be pro-bowl tackles in the NFL. There is a chance whoever the Browns took at pick no. 10 doesn’t pan out as well.
Take the cheese Cleveland, give up pick no. 74 and a third-round pick in 2021 and give Baker Mayfield the best chance to succeed in 2020.