The Cleveland Browns had a relatively quiet trade deadline. Their one move was sending Donovan Peoples-Jones to the Detroit Lions for a 2025 sixth-round pick.
Despite hype, this is largely the trade deadline that should’ve been expected, and nothing about it suggests the Browns are any less competitive than they were to start the day.
The teams that looked the best coming out of the trade deadline were the teams that added to what they already had on their roster.
The Philadelphia Eagles added safety Kevin Byard to a roster they believe can win the Super Bowl. The San Francisco 49ers added defensive end Chase Young to one of the most imposing defenses in the league.
The Buffalo Bills were the notable exception, trading for a corner to replace the injured Tre’Davious White. Even then, the Bills traded down from the third round to the fifth round in the process.
The Bills, who have been a second-tier team this year, haven’t now moved up to become one of the frontline teams in the AFC.
Maybe the move works out and helps them to secure a playoff spot. It helps them with their secondary, but they are missing key pieces of their defenses in DaQuan Jones and Matt Milano. They may intend to keep Rasul Douglas beyond this year, making the move more logical.
The Browns weren’t going to be looking to add a temp. They were almost certainly looking at players that could help the rest of this year, yes, but also add to the team next year. It’s safe to assume the Browns inquired about players they liked in this vein but didn’t like anything enough to make a trade.
Additionally, already limited in terms of draft capital because of the trade for Deshaun Watson, general manager Andrew Berry wasn’t likely going to surrender more assets to backfill a roster without Nick Chubb, Jack Conklin and questions surrounding Deshaun Watson.
If Watson was healthy and playing at a high level, this might be a different conversation, but he’s not, and it’s fair to wonder how possible that is this season.
In that respect, even if it’s a disappointing way to see Donovan Peoples-Jones go, the move makes sense.
The return in the trade is underwhelming, but given the state of the passing game, an expiring contract for a player who has had virtually no opportunities to contribute outside of blocking, there wasn’t much reason to expect much in return. The Browns also have someone else they want to evaluate in third-round rookie Cedric Tillman.
Berry smartly traded backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs to move up to the fifth-round in the 2024 draft. They now add a sixth-round pick in 2025. They want to restock their draft assets.
Those picks could either become players on rookie contracts or be used in another trade to get a player the Browns want down the road. Berry’s been making the most of those assets.
Berry has done well in trades because he has taken advantage of opportunities where he has leverage. Trading a fifth-round pick for wide receiver Amari Cooper, a fifth for defensive end Za’Darius Smith because the those teams needed to dump salary.
Trading a seventh for kicker Dustin Hopkins because the Los Angeles Chargers would’ve otherwise cut him.
It would’ve been malpractice to then trade more for a quarterback they don’t want on the field, whether for one game or the rest of the season.
They want Dorian Thompson-Robinson to be the long-term backup and don’t want to be forced to carry a third quarterback on the roster.
The Washington Commanders had all of the leverage as it pertained to quarterback Jacoby Brissett. Yes, they sold off both their starting defensive ends for assets, but they made out well in the trades.
The Commanders need a backup quarterback too, so the only incentive they had to move Brissett was for a team to make an offer they couldn’t refuse. That’s a desperate way to operate, giving up resources they don’t really have to get a player they don’t really want.
The Browns would’ve been giving up the same amount of resources that were being handed out to acquire impact defenders. Given the choice, trade for the impact defender and keep that player for the future.
The Browns still have a good defense. Their offensive line and running game are improving are they are waiting for Watson’s return so they can get the passing game on track.
Nothing they could’ve done at the trade deadline was going to change any of these elements.
The Browns have been planning and operating as a team that wants to maximize their window for years. Years like this one are the precise reason to do that.
This is definitely not the season for the Browns to plant their flag and make an all-in charge to the Super Bowl. The Browns want to be more like the Philadelphia Eagles than the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams were extremely fortunate to go all in and win the Super Bowl.
Now, they are in the midst of a painful rebuild. Meanwhile, the Eagles won a Super Bowl in 2018, were back there last year and have reason to believe they can contend this year as well as future years to come.
Berry has worked with Eagles GM Howie Roseman and looks up to him. It shouldn’t be a surprise that he’s operating in a similar manner.
The team has locked up their key players for the next several years and as he continues to make good moves, they can be one of the better rosters in the league for a while. This wasn’t the year to make a splash move.
Even as this wasn’t a year for the Browns to plant their flag at the trade deadline, not making a move doesn’t suggest they are folding on the season either. Nothing has changed.
They are still in position to make a run at the postseason, but much of it depends on the health and talent of Watson. A deadline trade wouldn’t change that reality.
It would be nice to think that not making a move suggests the Browns are confident Watson is closer to returning, but it’s reasonable to be skeptical until Watson is not only on the field, but playing well.
Plenty of the teams that didn’t make a move at the deadline remain confident in their chances of competing for the Super Bowl. Some, like the Baltimore Ravens reportedly tried and couldn’t make it work, but the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs were content to stand pat, confident in who they have.
The Browns still have a good defense. Their offensive line and running game are improving and they are waiting for Watson’s return so they can get the passing game on track. Nothing they could’ve done at the trade deadline was going to change any of these elements.
Should The Cleveland Browns Have Made That Deadline Day Trade?
With the trade deadline fast approaching I will be looking at every trade that we see happen around the NFL & if that is a move the Cleveland Browns should have made.It
With the trade deadline fast approaching I will be looking at every trade that we see happen around the NFL & if that is a move the Cleveland Browns should have made.
It won’t just give you an instant report of yes they should add x player because it makes them better, that isn’t the coverage you deserve or I look to provide. We will be discussing everything from the trade compensation, the salary cap dynamic and how it impacts the position room in 2023 and beyond.
The idea is to try and take you into the mind of Andrew Berry and the Cleveland Browns front office. It is rare a trade will go down in the league without them being aware of that player being available.
