Top NFC Team Named Trade Suitor For Browns' Star Defender

Could the Cleveland Browns trade one of their top defensive players to this surprising NFC team?

Cleveland Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II (0) reacts to a ball sailing out of bounds during the first quarter of an NFL football matchup Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Cleveland Browns fell to 1-4 this past Sunday, which means that trade speculation will continue building around some of their top players.

Take cornerback Greg Newsome II, for example.

Bleacher Report's Matt Holder has linked the Washington Commanders to a potential trade for Newsome, citing the Commanders' clear need for a cornerback.

"The Commanders ended the first month of the season at the top of the NFC East standings, giving the team playoff hopes," Holder wrote. "However, the defense desperately needs some help at cornerback moving forward. Meanwhile, the Browns look like a sinking ship that could be off-loading assets near the trade deadline."

Funny enough, it was the Commanders who hammered the Browns by a score of 34-13 in Week 5.

This would hardly be the first time Newsome's name has surfaced in trade rumors.

Early in the offseason, there was some chatter that the Browns could move Newsome, who has just one year remaining on his deal after this season.

Cleveland has already extended fellow cornerback Denzel Ward, and it also has Martin Emerson Jr.—who becomes eligible for an extension after the 2024 campaign—at the position.

As a result, the Browns will probably not be keeping Newsome long term, and they may want to avoid paying his $13.4 million option for 2025.

Newsome has logged 11 tackles and a couple of passes defended through the first five games of the season. He was selected by Cleveland in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft and has established himself as a terrific cover corner, but the Browns can only allocate so many resources to their secondary.

We'll see if Cleveland attempts to move him and if Washington ends up making a push for him.