For the better part of a month, it was a speculative pipe dream for the Cleveland Browns. We can’t say for sure whether the team actually made a pitch for star edge rusher Khalil Mack of the Chargers, but when it has come to trade speculation and what Andrew Berry and the front office could–and maybe should–do when the NFL trade deadline hits on Tuesday, Mack was the guy whose name was most frequently mentioned. In fact, veteran Browns beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot wrote not one but two columns suggesting the Browns either should or would put out feelers on Mack–she noted in October that the Browns would “kick the tires” on Mack.
Speaking on 92.3 The Fan last month, Cabot point out that adding Mack would take pressure off struggling Jared Verse: “If it were me, I would be trying to trade for Khalil Mack. I really don’t think the Chargers need him right now, and I think the Browns do. So, if I were them, I would be on that phone, trying to pick up Khalil Mack. I also think that would bring out the best in Jared Verse, to have somebody over there who can take a little bit of that heat off of him. So, I would be looking at somebody like him, or Khalil Mack himself.”
Khalil Mack Off the Market
The logic on the Browns’ NFL trade deadline intent was sound. The Chargers are struggling this season and Mack is on a one-year deal. He has the resume, with 116 career sacks over 13 seasons, and has been a Pro Bowler nine times, an All-Pro four times and was the Defensive Player of the Year Award winner in 2016. At 35 years old, he is not what he was, but Mack is still productive and has 3.0 sacks this season. He would be a plug-and-play fit in Cleveland.
Alas, a new report from ESPN insiders Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport has put the final kibosh on that dream scenario. From the report:
“Despite their 0-7 record, the Los Angeles Chargers continue to tell teams that they have no interest in trading Khalil Mack, and the veteran pass rusher will not be going anywhere before Tuesday’s deadline, according to sources.
“I want Khalil Mack here,” Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters. “Khalil Mack wants to be here.”
Browns in Position to Add DE, TE at NFL Trade Deadline
There’s still some question remaining about what, exactly, the Browns will do at the trade deadline. The two positions the team could address are backup tight end and edge rusher, and with 11 picks on hand in the 2027 draft, the Browns do have the wherewithal to make something happen.
Whether Berry is aggressive could depend on how the team looks on Sunday against the Saints. A win moves the Browns to 6-3 and still in the AFC North hunt. A loss drops them to 5-4 and could force the team to temper its expectations.
Browns’ Rumored NFL Trade Deadline Target Gets Final New Update