Buy or sell on Browns rumors: Is Nick Chubb a serious cut candidate?

The NFL offseason is officially underway, with the Super Bowl in the rearview mirror and the draft combine happening this week in Indianapolis. Throughout the next couple of months, front offices will be tasked with evaluating talent via the college pool, as well as that already on their rosters. Trades, players to be released, salary cap maneuvers, and free agency also will take place. For the Cleveland Browns, many questions must soon be answered in the days to follow, regarding what the roster will look like for the 2024 season.

After making an influx of changes within the offensive coaching staff, the play of Deshaun Watson will continue to be scrutinized going forward, until the perceived franchise quarterback can show signs on the field similar to that of his time with the Houston Texans — when he was widely considered a top-five quarterback in the league. This is exacerbated further by the success of Joe Flacco, who signed with the Browns late in the season and led the team to the playoffs, finishing with a 4-1 record as a starter.

Elsewhere, the status of running back Nick Chubb, who is coming off a severe knee injury which required multiple surgeries to repair, is a question mark. Depth at other positions, like wide receiver, defensive line, and linebacker, must also be addressed.

The Browns head into the draft without a first-round pick for the third consecutive year due to the spring 2022 trade for the previously mentioned Watson, which saw the team send three first-round picks, plus more, to the Houston Texans. Because of this, general manager Andrew Berry must be wise with his remaining picks, of which he has seven, with just two coming in the first four rounds (selections 54 and 85).

Finding depth to add to an already formidable roster is the priority. Thankfully for Browns fans, Berry has shown a propensity for acquiring talent in the middle of the draft, with key contributors such as Martin Emerson Jr, Jerome Ford, and Dawand Jones all being selected in the third round or later of their respective draft classes.

Because of the success of building a winning roster since being named GM in the offseason of 2020, it is rumored that the Browns will explore extending Berry, as well as head coach Kevin Stefanski, at some point in the coming weeks. Both are entering the final year of the five-year deals they signed with the Browns in 2020, and are expected to accept new deals to remain with the team going forward, should they be offered, despite being polarizing figures amongst the fan base.

While nothing has yet been announced on an official basis, fans are safe to continue to make their own assumptions for the time being, as any details of potential agreements are likely still weeks away from being made public. Leading up to the start of the league's new year on March 13th, which is also the start of free agency, most news will be centered around rumors and hearsay. Today, we buy or sell the validity of five of the most interesting rumors surrounding the Browns so far this offseason.