3 dream trade targets for the Cleveland Browns in 2020
By Randy Gurzi
2. Deion Jones, Linebacker, Atlanta Falcons
While it’s true the Browns added a lot of talent over the past three offseasons, they also saw their share of good players walk as well. This offseason, in particular, saw a couple of fan favorites leave as the front office decided not to re-sign linebacker Joe Schobert. They also released Christian Kirksey, who had struggled to stay healthy over the past two years.
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Schobert ended up signing in Jacksonville and it was clear that wasn’t his ideal move. Schobert seemed to really love Cleveland and it appeared he wanted to stay with the team that drafted him. However, it wasn’t meant to be which led to him landing with the Jaguars. As for Kirksey, he ended up in Green Bay, where he will start for the Packers.
With them gone, Mack Wilson, Sione Takitaki, B.J. Goodson, and Jacob Phillips will be the primary linebackers. Goodson is the most experienced and Wilson is the only returning starter from a season ago. With that being the case, there have been many questions about the linebackers corps in Cleveland which would mean landing a star player in a trade would be a dream scenario for them.
Someone who would be a fantastic fit is Deion Jones of the Atlanta Falcons. A second-round pick from LSU in 2016, Jones has already recorded three seasons with more than 100 tackles and has 409 total in his career. Jones is more than just a tackling machine as he’s proven to be great in pass coverage — evidenced by his 32 pass defenses and nine career picks. Jones has also scored four defenses touchdowns for the Dirty Bird, something that the Cleveland defense would love to be able to do more of.
In 2019, Jones signed a big contract extension with the Falcons, but the Browns found a way to get Odell Beckham, Jr. right after an extension, so why not dream about this one too?