The Cleveland Browns have been busy trading for players this offseason and there are still a few more trades likely to take place before the season kickoff
The Cleveland Browns have already had a healthy offseason of trades. The biggest involved quarterback Deshaun Watson back in March when the Houston Texans agreed to trade him to the Browns for virtually the farm. He was guaranteed $230 million and Cleveland traded away their first-round picks over the next three seasons — and a few other later-round picks in the coming rounds over the next few years as well.
They also went out and traded for an elite wide receiver from the Dallas Cowboys in Amari Cooper. These two trades are big and will give the team new and talented players to help continue to strengthen all parts of the team.
But the Browns still have a lame-duck quarterback out there on the team in Baker Mayfield plus they have a storage unit of excellent running backs that are sitting on the roster at the moment.
Many believe it’s just a matter of time before Mayfield is traded. The hang-up is his nearly $19 million contract. Most NFL teams don’t want to pay that and might be holding onto the idea that Mayfield is released.
We’ll present one trade involving Mayfield here first and then we’ll look at a couple of other trade options for the team as they prepare for next season. While some of these trades are more likely than others don’t be surprised when the team does make a trade or two.
Cleveland Browns potential trade No. 3: Baker Mayfield to Seattle
In this trade, the Browns trade their previous franchise quarterback to Seattle. The Seahawks are still searching for that new franchise quarterback. Drew Lock was brought in recently from the Denver Broncos, when Russell Wilson was shipped to Denver.
Pete Caroll, the Seahawks coach likes to create splashes with his teams, so bringing Mayfield in to compete for the starting job could be ideal for both Seattle and the quarterback.
The Browns would likely have to pay on some of that guaranteed $19 million owed to Mayfield. But this deal makes sense for both squads and gives Mayfield a place to go that is far from Cleveland.
Cleveland would also trade their rising star running back D’Ernest Johnson here. The Browns and Johnson both just agreed on a new one-year contract. But the running back room is too full at the moment. With Nick Chubb leading the way and other veteran Kareem Hunt following up as the other regular, it doesn’t give Johnson much of an opportunity.
Cleveland also just drafted Jerome Ford from Cincinnati and has second-year player Demetric Felton returning. This trade would give Johnson a new start and he’d likely become the Seahawks’ primary running back. Rashaad Penny is in that role now for Seattle, but Johnson would certainly give him a run for his money.
Both teams in this trade scenario would exchange a few draft picks as well. While some might believe that Mayfield could garnish a future first-round pick a second or third-round pick is much more likely.
Cleveland Browns potential trade No. 2: D’Ernest Johnson to Houston
D’Ernest Johnson seems to be the odd man out in the Browns running back room. Despite the recent signing of a new one-year deal, the Browns would only be out on about $151,000 in dead cap money and save a bit over $1 million in team cap.
If Cleveland was to trade Kareem Hunt here instead, they’d save over $6 million in cap space, but I can’t see the Browns at this stage trading both Baker Mayfield and Kareem Hunt this offseason.
Though that would be the better move financially at this point because Hunt’s more valuable in trade, that might be too much to try in an offseason that has already had its share of fireworks.
Back in Houston, the Texans have simply been awful in their run game. Giving Johnson a new chance with the Texans to be the outright No. 1 running back would bode well for both. The Texans did draft a running back from Florida named Dameon Pierce who was pretty productive as a Gator. Giving Pierce a chance to learn behind a more veteran player like Johnson would certainly make the Texans run game better in time.
Either way, if you look at this deal, Johnson or even Hunt being traded to the Texans would be a good deal for Houston because they have been so bad in the run game. It also seems like Houston has been a place that former Browns have gone to including Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson.
Hyde was the starting running back for the Browns in 2018 before he was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the early part of the year when Nick Chubb took the lead role. The following year he went to the Texans in a trade from the Kansas City Chiefs, who he had signed a free-agent contract with him in the spring of 2019.
Also going to the Texans was Duke Johnson in 2019, right before the season started in a trade. So, at the start of the 2019 season both Browns 2018 running backs were now Houston Texans. Both teams have done plenty of business together in recent seasons so stay tuned.
Cleveland Browns potential trade No. 1: Anthony Schwartz to Chicago
Anthony Schwartz was drafted by the Browns last year in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He was drafted because of his elite speed and the promise of him being able to get by his opponent and stretch the field. He showed glimpses of that athleticism and raw talent last year but now he’s going to be challenged even more for playing time.
The Chicago Bears are a mess in the wide receiver department. They are ranked near the bottom of many NFL preseason ladders. Chicago drafted Justin Fields as their franchise quarterback a year ago and he needs weapons to stretch the field.
When the Browns and Bears played last season in Cleveland, Fields was sacked a lot because he didn’t have wide receivers that could open the field.
The Bears did pick up free agent Byron Pringle from the Kansas City Chiefs, but they still need much more firepower. They are desperate and a team like Cleveland could get some healthy returns if they traded Schwartz right before the season starts.
Cleveland has Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones, and newly drafted David Bell from Purdue who figure to be on the field a lot. Bell will likely take former Brown Jarvis Landry’s role in the slot.
So that leaves Schwartz battling it out with a few other players like Ja’Marcus Bradley, newly signed Jakeem Grant, rookie free agent Isaiah Weston out of Northern Iowa along with the late-round draft pick Michael Woods from Oklahoma.
While it would be great to see Schwartz contribute this season for the Browns, he might be an attractive player to teams that need wide receivers more and the Bears would fit that bill.