Cleveland Browns: 3 trade targets to perfect their defense in 2021

Cleveland Browns defensive trade target No. 1: Byron Jones, CB

Byron Jones is in his second season with the Miami Dolphins after signing a five-year, $82 million contract ahead of the 2020 campaign. That made him the highest-paid defensive back at the time, as Miami rewarded him for his hard work with the Dallas Cowboys who drafted him in the first round back in 2015.

So why would the Dolphins be willing to move on from Jones just five games into the second season of his groundbreaking deal? Because they also renegotiated Xavien Howard’s already mammoth contract that he signed in 2019 and have Nik Needham playing well with Noah Igbinoghene and Trill Williams in the wing.

Sure, Needham, Igbinoghene, and Williams aren’t close to the same caliber as Jones but the Dolphins could look to save some money at the position after restructuring Howard’s contract.

But why would the Browns be interested in Jones when they already have Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome, and Greedy Williams? Well, the answer to that is because they have Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome, and Greedy Williams. All three of those players have major issues with injury and that’s already been an issue in 2021.

Ward left their Week 5 game with a neck injury and Williams also had to come off for a while as he was banged up. Newsome missed the game, and that made it two in a row keeping him at his collegiate rate of missing 40 percent of his games due to injury.

Cleveland needs to get players who can suit up at corner or else they run the risk of giving up 47 points whenever they face a high-powered offense. And their own offense isn’t built to win shootouts.

That’s why calling Miami wouldn’t be a bad idea at all.