Cleveland Browns' Offensive Star Named Shocking Trade Candidate

Could the Cleveland Browns trade one of their highest-paid players this offseason?

Sep 22, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Jack Conklin (78) celebrates after a touchdown by wide receiver Amari Cooper (not pictured) during the first quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelersat FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Dermer-USA TODAY Sports / David Dermer-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Browns have one of the best offensive lines in football, and one of the biggest names along that unit is right tackle Jack Conklin.

The Browns signed Conklin as a free agent back in March 2020. The early returns were fantastic, as Conklin earned a First-Team All-Pro selection during his debut campaign in Cleveland.

Since then, however, things have taken a turn for the worse.

Injuries have limited Conklin to just 22 games over the last three seasons, but in December 2022 (during the midst of a 14-game campaign for Conklin), the Browns signed him to a four-year, $60 million contract extension.

About a year-and-a-half later, Conklin is a potential trade candidate.

At least that's what Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox thinks.

In a piece where Knox listed the top 10 players who could potentially be on the move heading into training camp, Conklin's name was mentioned.

It actually does make sense given the rise of fellow tackle Dawand Jones last season, who stepped up in place of Conklin when the latter went down with a year-ending knee injury in Week 2.

The Browns currently have three very serviceable offensive tackles in Conklin, Jones and Jedrick Wills, all of whom are actually recovering from knee surgery.

However, given Conklin's extensive injury history (he has not played a full season since 2019 back when he was with the Tennessee Titans), moving him could make sense, especially considering that there has already been speculation that he could come off the bench in 2024.

The 29-year-old is under contract through 2026. Trading him now would open up $3.1 million in cap space for the Browns this season (which could allow them to allot more money to, say, Amari Cooper) and would also allow them to get out from under the final three years of Conklin's deal.

When healthy, there is no doubt that Conklin is a terrific player, but that's just the thing: he has scarcely been healthy since arriving in Cleveland, and with the emergence of Jones, it may benefit the Browns to trade Conklin now. Not only would they save money, but they would probably be able to recoup a decent draft asset.