Cleveland Browns: 3 trade targets in event of a Texans fire sale

3 Texans trade targets for the  Cleveland Browns

Deshaun Watson is the biggest name who could be on the move this offseason, and by trading him, the Houston Texans would certainly be entering into a full-blown rebuild, which means other players would be available for the poaching. Here are three that the Cleveland Browns should call about.

3. Brandin Cooks, WR

If there’s one thing the Browns loss to the Kansas City Chiefs proved, it’s that the team needs to get faster on offense. The wide receiver group as currently constructed lacks the ability to win down the field, and the Chiefs exploited this by playing press-man cover-1 all game long. No vertical threat meant that Kansas City could stack the box to eliminate the running game and any bootleg play action that Cleveland wished to run.

The WR room will be transformed this offseason, and Brandin Cooks has to at least be considered as an option. He has suffered five concussions throughout his career, but he’s missed just three games over the past six seasons. He’s fresh off one of the better statistical campaigns of his career, hauling in 81 passes for 1,150 yards and six touchdowns. He won’t turn 28 until September and is under contract through 2023 with zero guaranteed money remaining. This means that his current cap hits of $12 million, $13 million, and $14 million could be significantly reduced via restructure.

Trading for Cooks would almost certainly mean moving on from one of Odell Beckham Jr. or Jarvis Landry, and at the very least restructuring one or both of their deals to a significantly lower cap number. There may be more efficient ways to solve the deep threat problem, but Cooks would be a known commodity, as long as he stays on the field.

About a year ago, the Texans sent a second-rounder to the Los Angeles Rams for Cooks and a fourth-round pick. Given Houston’s salary cap and draft capital situation, it likely wouldn’t cost the Browns a 2 to land Cooks.