As we get closer to the draft and further away from free agency, it will be interesting to see if Andrew Berry and the Cleveland Browns are active in the trade market. While I don’t see the Browns looking to trade for additional players, they could look for a few draft assets.
Remember, the Browns were without a first and a second-round pick last year because of the Deshaun Watson and Elijah Moore trade and will be without a first and fifth-round pick in 2024 because of the Watson and Jerry Jeudy trade.
It’s all fun and games adding veterans with large salaries in the beginning, but to be a sustainable franchise there is no doubt that you must be able to draft. Berry has certainly had his wins as the Browns general manager, but there is no doubt that there have been some struggles in the draft process.
Here are three Browns that could be moved around the draft in order for the Browns to try and collect draft assets.
No. 3: Wyatt Teller, Guard
There's no doubt that there has been a changing of the guard on this Browns offense. Ken Dorsey was brought in along with Jeudy and Moore (last year) to open up this offense.
I know that Wyatt Teller is a fan favorite in the city, but his style of play no longer fits the offensive scheme. Teller is an elite run blocker who is athletic enough to pull and strong enough to bury people in the open field.
Unfortunately, his leverage in pass protection is terrible and he lacks a first punch. Teller far too often gets beat right at the snap of the ball and it caused a ton of pressure on Watson last season.
Teller has two years left on his deal and the Browns could potentially save more than $20 million if they found a trade partner. The Browns would likely have to eat some of his contract but a team that wants to run the ball heavily could have a big interest in the talented guard.
No. 2: Amari Cooper, Wide Receiver
While the Cleveland Browns are certainly looking to change up their offense, it’s wild for me to see Berry pay two wide receivers such a high salary in the same year. When the Jeudy trade first hit I loved it, but after the extension I think it makes things difficult to keep Cooper long-term.
Many thought Cooper would be subject to a restructuring to bring down his $23.7 million cap hit, but now I wonder if the team wouldn’t be interested in dealing him closer to the draft. His value would likely be low with only one year on his deal, but the Browns could save $20 million in cap space which would allow them to make some additional moves.
I love Cooper’s game. He's an elite route runner and does all the little things which usually makes coaches happy. Unfortunately, this is a business, and sometimes tough decisions must be made.
I think a team would at least need to pony up a fourth-round pick which is a bit of a stretch, but a team who is desperate may be willing to pay for a low-risk move when it comes to production.
The biggest thing that scares me in a scenario where Cooper gets traded is Berry’s inability to draft wide receivers. We have seen Anthony Schwartz, David Bell, and Cedric Tillman all taken in round three, and have yet to see any dividend from them.
No. 1: Greg Newsome, Cornerback
The chatter has been around for a while about possibly trading Greg Newsome. The talented cornerback has played well for the Cleveland Browns but is in a tough situation where Denzel Ward and Martin Emerson have outperformed him.
Newsome was vocal last offseason about not wanting to play in the slot, but he seemed to get over that quickly and did perform well in the Jim Schwartz defense. With the injury history Ward has, I love having him around for added depth, but you can see the temptation Berry will have to pull the trigger.
Newsome was a first-round pick in 2021 which means a team would have him for the 2024 season and the right to exercise a fifth-year option to have him for the 2025 season as well. The fifth-year option is fully guaranteed, but he has played well enough that for some teams it would be an easy decision.
I’m not sure what Newsome would bring in, but if someone were willing to trade a second or early third-round pick for the services of Newsome, Berry would certainly entertain the idea of building back all of the draft assets he traded away.
So even though the Browns don’t have a pick in the first round in 2024, there could be plenty of action and trade activity to watch for.