A lot of things have to fall into place for this Cleveland Browns team to finish the season with a respectable record. It'd have to make a huge run post-Week 10 bye, it'd have to beat the Ravens in Week 8, and it'd have to suddenly get nearly perfect games from all of its skill players each and every week for the rest of the year.
So, a very tall task. And, an extremely unlikely one to have happen. Another unlikely reality for the Browns is that it keeps several of its currently rostered players on the team by the end of October as we approach the Nov. 5 NFL trade deadline. Some players are likely to get cut because of injury making them expendable or traded because of a need to start the rebuild.
Cuts and trades are just a way of life in the league, and the Browns are no exception to this rough part of the game itself. There are three currently rostered Browns players that might be seeing themselves off the team by way of a trade or a cut by the team's Week 10 bye.
1. QB Bailey Zappe
Zappe was just signed to the team off of the practice team for the Kansas City Chiefs. He was brought in to add depth to the quarterback room after Deshaun Watson's injury in Week 7, but it doesn't seem like Zappe will be backing up Jameis Winston in Week 8 or beyond - barring any major injury to Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Thompson-Robinson isn't projected to be out long as he suffered no bone or muscle injury in Week 7 to his finger, so it's unlikely Zappe's services will be needed for much longer after he comes back.
2. Za'Darius Smith
Smith feels like the perfect trade target for teams looking to shore up their defensive lines ahead of the trade deadline. Teams in actual contention, like the Detroit Lions or Washington Commanders, should come calling to Cleveland to seek out Smith's services - and, reportedly, they have. Smith's been lacking in sacks this season, but he's still an excellent defensive lineman who can explode and pass rush with Myles Garrett seamlessly. It feels likely that he, and not Garrett, will be off the team by the end of the month.
Read more: Browns fans will be relieved to see top trade candidates named before deadline
3. Geoff Swaim
Swaim has been lost in the tight end room for some time now, falling behind Jordan Akins and David Njoku since Njoku's return from a Week 1 injury. Swaim's box scores for the season reveal goose egg after goose egg, an unfortunate development as Swaim has proven to be a servicable tight end in the league prior to joining the Browns. But, if Cleveland is looking to loosen up any cap space, going for a player like Swaim may unfortunately be the move.