3 Cleveland Browns who should be traded before the deadline
By Greg Newland
No. 2 – Kareem Hunt
One trade that will pain me but needs to happen this year is Kareem Hunt. At age 27 he has a lot of life ahead of him, and the Cleveland Browns are just too loaded at the position to truly utilize him. I would love to see him get a shot playing with Deshaun Watson, but with only this year left on his contract, there is still some value from a team in desperate need of a running back.
The biggest target would have been the San Francisco 49ers who recently traded for Christian McCaffrey, but there is still a playoff contender who could use some depth. The Los Angeles Rams or Buffalo Bills would both likely have some interest in Hunt.
You’re likely only talking about a fourth-or-fifth-round pick in return, but again, with what Andrew Berry gave up attaining Watson, these picks could all go a long way. The Browns aren’t likely to be able to get back into round one in 2023, but with a large number of picks, they would have the ammunition to jump up in a round to get a steal.
I’m not saying to dish Hunt because he isn’t a good player, he runs hard and is a great receiving option on third down. The Browns just have too much depth at the position and a guy like Jerome Ford or D’Ernest Johnson easily picks up his production. A team with the desire to sign Hunt long-term could be willing to give up slightly more as well.
Fans won’t like to hear this, but the NFL is a business, and this is a business move that makes sense.