3 Players Cleveland Browns could trade during the 2021 NFL Draft
By Randy Gurzi
2. Sheldon Richardson, Defensive Tackle
When the Cleveland Browns season ended, there was some question about the status of Sheldon Richardson — from outside sources of course, not the team. Richardson has been a solid defensive tackle for the past two seasons for the Browns but he also makes a whole lot of money and will be 31 this November.
The concerns seemed to die out when Cleveland elected not to re-sign Larry Ogunjobi, making Richardson’s spot seem safe. But then, the Browns added Malik Jackson.
On the surface, this is a complete depth move. Jackson, who is also 31, won’t exactly push Richardson for starting time but is there to play in a rotation alongside him. But as you look deeper, you could see why a move could still be on the table.
In addition to Jackson and Richardson, the Browns have Andrew Billings and Jordan Elliott on the roster. Billings is the lone one-technique whereas Elliott and Jackson are better suited in the three-technique, which is where Richardson plays.
Perhaps the team envisions Elliott in the nose spot, but they could also add someone fairly cheap as a backup and look to save money by trading Richardson and keeping Elliott where he is.
If they did go this route, they would save roughly $11.5 million by moving on from Richardson. And just for some comparison, OverTheCap.com has Richardson at $13.16 million this season and Jackson at just $1.1 million.
Another option would be to extend Richardson and re-work the overall cap hit, but a trade could always be a possibility. And it became an even bigger one with the signing of Jadeveon Clowney.