Finding Trade Targets for Browns a Difficult Task

Gone are the days where an unproven player is brought up in trade talks and the Cleveland Browns immediately come up because they need the help. The Browns are talented enough and set up in a way where targeting players to add is increasingly difficult.

Aside from players like Stephon Gilmore of the New England Patriots, which seems unlikely anyway, it's difficult to target players that the Cleveland Browns would add to this team in a trade for the 2021 season.

Big names like Gilmore or Danielle Hunter of the Minnesota Vikings have come up as possible fits, but the Patriots spent a ton of money building up their roster and the Vikings worked out a new deal with Hunter. More likely, the Browns would engage in a trade not unlike the type they did to acquire Ronnie Harrison from the Jacksonville Jaguars or Wyatt Teller from the Buffalo Bills, but that's difficult to project.

Both of those moves have been tremendous for the Browns, but they were surprises when they happened, becoming pleasant surprises as opposed to long drawn out processes that were finally consummated. 

Tuesday, Patriots wide receiver and former first round pick N'Keal Harry's agent put out a statement formally requesting a trade.

Harry would fit that type of deal, seemingly, but the Browns don't have anywhere to put him. The wide receiver battle in training camp is already set to be a bloodbath. After Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins and Donovan Peoples-Jones could be in a no-holds barred battle for the main receiver to come in when the Browns utilize three receiver sets.

Even if they split it depending on the role, the next spot in the receiver room could be Anthony Schwartz, the rookie third round pick or KhaDarel Hodge, who shined in limited opportunities in 2020.

Harry would be the seventh wide receiver, which doesn't even account for Jojo Natson, who is still on the roster from last year.

Harry might be a roll of the dice similar to Taywan Taylor or Breshad Perriman, but there's little point for the Browns to do it. The coaching staff already has a lot of work they need to do in the event they plan to keep six.

It's not impossible the Browns could poach a veteran from another roster with a bigger contract, but they would have to love the fit. Otherwise, they would likely have found a way to bring back defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson.

The positions that could be reasonable for the Browns to add in a trade would be on their rookie contract not unlike both Harrison and Teller were when the Browns acquired them. Three positions that stand out on this front include corner, safety and defensive tackle.

Corner and safety, it's simply about upgrading depth. 2020 showed that the team simply can't have enough of them as their depth was pushed to the limit on multiple occasions. For teams that might have swapped coaches or front offices, maybe there could be an opportunity to grab someone that has fallen out of favor or does not fit the direction the team is going.

Defensive tackle stands out simply because the Browns are so young after Malik Jackson and Andrew Billings. The weight will likely fall on Jordan Elliott entering year two and rookies Tommy Togiai, selected in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft and undrafted free agent Marvin Wilson.

It stands to reason the Browns must be pretty excited about this trio if they were willing to let Richardson go. However, be it injury that produces necessity or simply an opportunity, if a team were to have an interesting player on a rookie deal that has a track record in the NFL, the Browns might be willing to pull the trigger.

At least right now, the Browns don't need to make a move to upgrade their roster, but they are always on the lookout for ways to improve their roster. Additionally, they have assets that go beyond draft picks they could move. The Browns have a surplus of talented offensive linemen who won't be able to make the team and they could make a swap for teams shorthanded in that area.

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