The Cleveland Browns are closer than many want to believe. Sure, there are some out there who think they're sitting around trying to figure out how to get rid of Deshaun Watson but those same people think David Njoku is a cut candidate. In other words, the Browns feel good about going back to Watson who led them to a 4-1 record in the games he started — and finished — in 2023. Which, is the same record Joe Flacco had for those who believe he's a far superior option.
Watson might not be the star he was in Houston but he proved he can catch fire and with the defense playing as well as they did last year, that could be enough to defeat anyone. They could improve their odds even more with another strong offseason, especially if they land at least one of these three realistic trade targets.
3. Browns could trade for Broncos OT Garrett Bolles
If Cleveland is serious about building around Deshaun Watson, then they need to face the facts when it comes to their offensive line — it's just not as good as it gets credit for. Anyone who has watched the Browns play over the past two seasons has to see how quickly Watson is forced to bail from the pocket. The same was true for Joe Flacco when he took over — and while Flacco had a lot of backups, the starters weren't doing much better for Watson.
The biggest issue has been at left tackle, where Jedrick Wills has struggled to keep defenders from ruining the game plan. That's why there were rumors in 2023 that the Browns could make a swap at the trade deadline and send Wills to the Broncos for Garrett Bolles.
It would take more than Wills since Bolles is a much better blocker but throwing in someone who could potentially start might make Denver feel better about sending over a legit starting left tackle. Bolles, who has one year left on his deal, is due $20 million in 2024. But if Cleveland were to make this move and extend his contract, the hit this year could go down. That sounds like something they should look into.
2. Browns could trade for Chargers EDGE Joey Bosa
Joey Bosa was an absolute stud for the Ohio State Buckeyes, which is why the Chargers were happy to use the third overall pick on him back in 2016. Bosa burst onto the scene as a rookie, registering 10.5 sacks despite missing the first four games of the season. Since then, he's continued to produce at a high volume with 67 sacks under his belt.
He played well enough that Los Angeles signed him to a massive extension in 2020, agreeing to a five-year deal worth $135 million. He enters this season with two years left on his contract but there are a couple of reasons to think the Chargers might be willing to move on.
First is the addition of Jim Harbaugh, who takes over as the head coach following the firing of Brandon Staley. Harbaugh could be looking to rebuild part of the roster and sending Bosa elsewhere could give him some draft capital to work with.
The second would be his cap hit. Bosa is slated to account for $36.6 million against the cap in 2024 and $32.97 in 2025. He's also missed time in each of the past two seasons, playing in just 14 games combined.
Even with the high cap hit and the missed games, there would be a reason to pull the trigger. Bosa is still a force when he's on the field and had 6.5 sacks in just nine games. For Cleveland, that would have been good enough for second on the team behind NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett.
Cleveland would need to work on an extension for Bosa should they land him and general manager Andrew Berry would have to do some creative accounting as well to make it work. But pairing Bosa and Garrett while having Alex Wright and Ogbo Okoronkwo coming in off the bench would be practically unfair to opposing offenses.
1. Browns could trade for Broncos WR Courtland Sutton
The Denver Broncos went 8-9 last year, which is an improvement from their 5-12 record in 2022. Even with the jump in wins, there are continual rumors that Sean Payton is willing to listen to just about any trade offer. We already looked at Garrett Bolles, who was rumored to be available last year, and now it's wide receiver Courtland Sutton.
A former second-round pick from SMU, Sutton was on the verge of stardom in 2019 when he had 72 receptions for 1,112 yards and six touchdowns in his second NFL season. He then missed all but one game in 2020 and while he's been a steady wideout since then, he has yet to hit the 1,000 mark again.
That doesn't mean he hasn't been good, because he has. Just this past season, Sutton had 10 touchdowns while recording 772 yards. He was excellent at pulling down contested catches — and the Browns are well aware of how quickly he can impact a game. In Cleveland's loss to Denver during their Week 12 showdown, Sutton had just three receptions but recorded 61 yards and drew a costly pass interference as well.
As for his trade value, the asking price has been high whenever rumors start to pop up around Sutton. That's understandable given his talent and throw in the fact that he has two years left on his deal and it could remain costly to land him. For the Browns, it would be worth it though to have the 6-foot-4, 216-pounder on the opposite side of Amari Cooper. That would be an unreal combination.