The Cleveland Browns have a major salary cap problem right now. Not even the recent salary cap increase was enough to give them a hand, and they will have to do plenty of financial juggling to make some moves in the offseason.
According to Over the Cap, GM Andrew Berry and the Browns have just $3.2 million to work with right now. That's clearly not sustainable, so they will have to cut ties with several guys and, most likely, restructure some contracts.
With that in mind, Bleacher Report's Alex Ballentine wrote about the Browns' potential trade options. They don't have many valuable assets, but they should be open for business to get some money off their books.
"The way they do business doesn't afford them a lot of trade candidates that would actually clear space. Denzel Ward is the most notable. Trading Maliek Collins or Jerry Jeudy won't create cap space, but they could bring back a valuable draft pick."
Browns’ cap crunch could cost three familiar names
Given his impact on defense, it's hard to believe the Browns will even consider the idea of moving on from Denzel Ward. Kevin Stefanski would probably love to get him for his Atlanta Falcons, but even with his injury woes, clearing just $3.2 million with a trade gives the Browns little to no incentive to get rid of him.
As for Jeudy, that might not be the case. A pre-June 1 trade would actually cost the Browns $11.9 million, but moving him after that date would free up $3.8 million. It's not much, but as a former first-round pick, he could probably fetch a mid-round draft pick.
Last but not least, Collins is one of the most underrated interior defenders in the game. His Pro Football Focus grade of 74.5 ranked 14th among 134 defensive linemen, and given the shortage of high-end run-stoppers in the trade market, he could bring strong value in return. They're all set with Mason Graham, Shelby Harris, and Mike Hall Jr., so they can afford to let him go.
The Browns need to spend big bucks to fix their offense. They might have to go after a quarterback, and they need to add talent to the wide receiver room and the offensive line. As such, all options should be on the table, and not many players should be untouchable in Berea.