The Cleveland Browns have been horrendous at stopping the run, and there are potential moves to make for a defensive tackle ahead of the NFL Trade Deadline.
Through the first seven games of the 2022 season, the Cleveland Browns rank in the bottom 10 of the NFL in rush yards allowed per game at 135.6. That is well, not good.
The NFL Trade Deadline is on Tuesday, so there is some time to improve this roster for the duration of the season and potentially the next couple of seasons. After all, the end game wasn’t ever going to be the 2022 season, but 2023 and beyond.
Here are three defensive tackles the Browns can trade for to try and stop the opposing team’s rushing attack.
Disclaimer: Daron Payne would be No. 1 on this list, but the Commanders would likely want a good compensation package and then Payne would require a heft sum of cash in the offseason. There is no way the Browns essentially pay for him, or any player for that matter, twice.
3 defensive tackles the Browns can trade for ahead of NFL Trade Deadline
No. 3: Neville Gallimore, Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys could be an ideal trade partner for Andrew Berry and the Browns by electing to trade away third-year defensive tackle Neville Gallimore. This makes more sense now being that Dallas just traded for Johnathan Hankins, so Gallimore could very well be the odd man out.
Last week, Gallimore was a late scratch with an undisclosed injury. While he could have played, he wouldn’t have been 100 percent. Through six games played this season, Gallimore has posted eight solo tackles (two for a loss) and a sack.
The 6-foot-2, 302-pound defensive tackle could help sure up this defensive line that is in desperate need of some help. He is still on his rookie contract and signed through the 2023 season. This would be a cheap deal to make for the Browns not only for this season but possibly for next as well.
No. 2: Maliek Collins, Houston Texans
This is an interesting trade scenario for the Browns should the Texans decide to trade Maliek Collins ahead of Tuesday’s Trade Deadline due to the fact he has two void years in 2024 and 2025. We all know how much Berry loves void years on deals.
Collins signed a two-year, $17 million contract in the offseason with a $6 million signing bonus and another $8.5 million in guaranteed money. So this trade, should it come to fruition, would be a win financially for the Browns.
Through six games this season, Collins has 12 combined tackles (two for a loss), three quarterback hits, and a pass deflection. In his six-and-a-half years in the league, he has compiled 19 or more combined tackles every year except one. He also has 17 sacks, 31 tackles for loss, and 51 quarterback hits.
Cleveland is in dire need of someone who can stuff the run, while also getting to the quarterback, especially when Myles Garrett is getting double and triple-teamed on nearly every single play.
Collins missed practice on Wednesday with a chest injury, so that would obviously need to be monitored from now until Tuesday.
Clearly, these two teams aren’t shy about contacting one another in trade talks, as the Browns pulled the trigger on the Deshaun Watson trade back in March. There are other members of the Texans roster that could also be targeted for Cleveland, but that’s a different discussion for a different day.
No. 1: Matt Ioannidis, Carolina Panthers
Now, this would be a similar situation as the Payne one, but much different in terms of price. Matt Ioannidis would be an ideal fit for this Browns defense, and the team has already made a trade with Carolina when they traded Baker Mayfield in the offseason.
The 6-foot-3, 310-pound defensive tackle has been in the league for seven years now, mostly with Washington before signing with the Panthers in the offseason. In his six games in Carolina, he has racked up 15 combined tackles (two for a loss), and a sack.
In his career, he has racked up 25.5 sacks, 190 tackles (27 for a loss), and 63 quarterback hits. That sounds like the perfect fit to sandwich in between Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney for the remainder of this season and potentially the next two or three seasons.
Like Payne, Ioannidis will be a free agent after the season, but he would not command the amount of money that the former would. Despite the fact that he doesn’t fit Berry’s age parameters, he is a solid veteran presence, something the Browns need on the interior of the defensive line.
Do not be shocked if Tuesday comes and goes and Berry doesn’t make a move. It is safe to assume that this decision – that is if another team agrees to a trade – won’t be determined or kicked further into motion until after the Halloween, Monday Night Football showdown against the Bengals.