Browns Trading for Jonathan Taylor? Not that Crazy

With Jonathan Taylor having permission to seek out a trade by the Indianapolis Colts, no one is talking about the Cleveland Browns as a potential destination. Maybe they should.

If the Cleveland Browns determine that once Nick Chubb's contract runs out after 2024, they plan to let him walk or attempt to pay him a reduced salary, they could trade for Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor and sign him to the extension he's seeking and have a two-headed monster of Chubb and Taylor for two seasons. The biggest stumbling block isn't money, but the price of the trade.

Taylor is one of the top pure runners in the league behind Chubb and has similar physical dimensions at 5'10" 226 lbs. He's adaptable to any blocking scheme and he's been a weapon out of the backfield in the passing game, catching 104 passes for 802 yards and three touchdowns in 43 games.

Taylor is only scheduled to be paid $4.304 million this season. If the Browns were to give him a contract extension in the style they've paid all of their core players, the first year would a have low cap figure. That would allow the Browns to carry both Chubb and Taylor for two seasons.

Chubb could then walk or the Browns could try to sign him to a reduced salary, then move onto Taylor as the featured back when he will be 26. No one wants to see Chubb leave, but if that's going to happen, this would allow a clean transition to another back that maintains a dominant running game.

The reason Taylor wants out of Indianapolis is he does not want to be in a position where he gets seriously injured this season and got paid practically nothing for his NFL career relative to his achievements. And even if Taylor is great, the Colts are signaling they will only then give him the franchise tag. The amount of money attached to the franchise tag is likely to diminish as teams across the league continue to pay running backs less,  another factor in Taylor's decision.

The Browns have the capacity to offer the extension and security Taylor wants. In fact, it's likely the only way the Browns would acquire him. Taylor would get what he wants and not only have an outstanding offensive line, but reduce the amount of wear and tear on his body being paired with Chubb, which could extend the prime years for both.

The hitch with Taylor is the price point for the Colts to move him. They reportedly want a first round pick or the equivalent, something along the lines of what the San Francisco 49ers gave up in their trade for Christian McCaffrey.

The Browns aren't going to do that. They value the picks too much, need them to keep building the roster and try to avoid attrition as well as the maintaining their salary cap. In order for the Browns to trade him, teams across the league would have to adopt the same attitude as the Colts. Yes, they would like to add Taylor, but don't want to give a running back a premium contract extension. Their trade offers will be commiserate with a season or two as opposed to a cornerstone type player.

All it takes is for one team to give the Colts the package they want, but if there's a situation where that doesn't happen, general manager Andrew Berry could swoop in and give the Colts multiple picks that are slightly lesser value. For example, a third this year and a second in the 2025 draft (when they will have a first round pick) or perhaps a third and fifth this year and a conditional pick in 2025.

Meanwhile, the Browns may be content to keep looking at cheaper options to find another talented back. They used a fifth-round pick to select Jerome Ford last year who they like. They've added some undrafted free agents. Depending on how Ford does this year, they may select another back next year as they search for the heir to Chubb's throne.

None of those players can do what Taylor does and he'd be on the team now, able to step in and contribute immediately. The Browns would have the best running back duo in the league and along with Deshaun Watson, Amari Cooper, David Njoku, Elijah Moore and Donovan Peoples-Jones plus a strong offensive line. That could be one of the most terrifying offenses in the league.

The Browns acquiring Taylor is an unlikely scenario, but if teams who are largely committed for this season aren't in a position to give up the assets necessary to add one of the great backs in the NFL in Jonathan Taylor, Andrew Berry and the Browns could get him at a salary that won't impede how they operate over the next several seasons.