NFL insider confirms Browns' trade deadline plans

After falling to 2-7, it could be assumed that the Cleveland Browns are going to be sellers at the trade deadline. Come Nov. 5, the Browns might be ushering in a completely new look team ahead of their bye week, but with minimal new faces being brought in - the team is looking to gather picks, not more contracts against their cap.

In that same vein, the Browns are likely going to be aiming to trade as much talent as possible without completely gutting the team but enough to net enough picks for the next few drafts to rebuild the roster. This is all because the team decided it'd be a smart idea to give a guaranteed 5 year, $230 million dollar contract to Deshaun Watson who has yet to put together a good season with the team.

Read more: Trade compensation for Broncos edge rusher shows potential Za'Darius Smith price

According to NFL insider Tom Pelissero, ahead of the deadline, the Browns are expected to make everyone but Myles Garrett available. This mostly confirms what fans of the team already knew - Cleveland is ready to tank. But, making Garrett unavailable means that prior reporting that he is not completely untouchable from Albert Breer might be murky.

Pelissero added in his reporting that while the Browns are looking to be major sellers at the deadline, so are the many other losing teams this season. The Las Vegas Raiders, Carolina Panthers, and Tennessee Titans are just a few teams that will be in competition with the Browns in trying to net as big of a pick haul as possible ahead of Nov. 5 and ahead of what is shaping up to be one of the best drafts for a quarterback in quite some time next year.

Za'Darius Smith move still not done

While Za'Darius Smith seems sure to be on the move as he's been linked to the Detroit Lions multiple times over the last few weeks, no movement between the two teams has happened as the deadline is approaching according to Pelissero. That doesn't mean the deal won't get done, but it might indicate that the Lions are shopping around for a smaller asking price - the New York Giants' Azeez Ojulari is another target for Detroit that might be a cheaper get than Smith.

If the Browns fail to move Smith at the deadline, they'll probably have to make other moves to compensate and get even more picks than the third rounder they got back for Amari Cooper earlier in the season. That includes looking at veterans like David Njoku who carry big cap hits headed into the 2025 season.

More Browns rumors and analysis