3 Cleveland Browns that could be trade bait in 2021
By Randy Gurzi
With the Cleveland Browns improving their roster in 2021, they could try and use some of their role players from last year as trade bait
One thing about a team getting better is that some of the players fans grow to admire could find themselves on the outside looking in. This has happened a lot recently for the Cleveland Browns who went from an 0-16 team in 2017 to one that made it to the Divisional Round in 2020.
Now entering the 2021 season, their roster looks even better than it did a year ago. There are an estimated eight new starters on defense and it could even become nine.
That has a lot of players on the roster bubble but rather than cutting them, the Browns could look to flip them for future draft picks. Here are three names that general manager Andrew Berry could look to trade before the season begins.
3. Porter Gustin, EDGE
Undrafted out of USC in 2019, Porter Gustin began his career with the New Orleans Saints but didn’t make the final roster. Cleveland ended up giving him a chance and he proved to be a success story so far in his young career.
A talented and highly productive player for the Trojans, Gustin struggled with health which kept teams from using a draft pick on him. He wound up in a great situation for him as the Browns were in need of depth with Olivier Vernon dealing with a knee injury and Myles Garrett getting suspended at the end of 2019.
Gustin played in six games as a rookie and had 13 tackles and one sack. His role increased in 2020 and he played in 14 games with three starts totaling 30 tackles on the season. He didn’t record a sack but had seven pressures in his limited time.
With Cleveland adding Jadeveon Clowney and Takk McKinley — as well as getting Curtis Weaver back after spending his rookie season on the IR — Gustin could be on the outside looking in. But that doesn’t mean he’s not a good player, because he is. He’s also still improving and Cleveland could look to try and get something for him now, rather than losing him for nothing due to crowded numbers.