Browns Trade Proposal Nets $51 Million TE for Mid-Round Pick

Getty Tight end Darren Waller of the New York Giants.

The Cleveland Browns lack weapons in the passing game, which has made the wide receiver room a focus ahead of the trade deadline. But what about an addition at tight end?

Jared Mueller of SB Nation’s Dawgs By Nature on Thursday, October 19, authored a trade proposal in which the Browns deal for Darren Waller of the New York Giants.

“TE Jordan Akins hasn’t seen the field as much as expected after signing a free-agent deal with the Browns,” Mueller wrote. “Waller has elite upside if he is focused. He could be available for a very reasonable price after being acquired this offseason for a third-round pick.”

Darren Waller High-Risk, High-Reward Trade Prospect for Browns

GettyTight end Darren Waller of the New York Giants. 

The Giants dealt for Waller in March. The tight end signed a three-year, $51 million extension with the Las Vegas Raiders in September 2022, which keeps him under contract through 2026.

Cleveland will assume a considerable amount of risk if it trades for Waller’s contract. He is already 31 years old and has an injury history that caused him to miss eight games in 2022 and six contests the year prior.

But the Browns’ calculus isn’t like most other NFL teams when it comes to adding high-risk, high-reward talent. The franchise made sure of that when it agreed to pay QB Deshaun Watson a total of $230 million guaranteed over five years. Watson is playing in only the second year of that deal and his salary cap number jumps to $64 million annually between 2024-26.

On the one hand, Watson’s contract makes consistently adding proven skill-position players financially complicated. On the other hand, the QB’s deal necessitates the Browns continue to spend around him to make the initial investment worth it.

The Giants signed Waller to give quarterback Daniel Jones a true No. 1 option in the pass game. Jones is currently battling a neck injury and the team is off to a 1-5 start. New York is the definition of a trade deadline seller, now one-third of the way through a disastrous second season under a new management regime.

The team can exercise an out in Waller’s contract deal following this season by paying him $7.9 million then releasing him. If that option is on the table, it makes more sense to for the Giants move Waller’s contract now and recoup the mid-round pick they sent to the Raiders to acquire him in the first place.

Darren Waller Can Offer Browns Offense Needed Infusion of Playmaking

GettyNew York Giants tight end Darren Waller.

On the Browns’ side of things, a playmaker like Waller is a sensible addition if he can remain healthy.

The former Pro Bowler produced more than 1,100 yards in both 2019 and 2020 before injury problems cut each of his last two campaigns short. Waller has played all six games this season, tallying 28 catches for 282 yards, per Pro Football Reference. Those aren’t Pro-Bowl numbers and Waller has yet to record a touchdown, but he’s also playing on one of the worst offenses in the NFL.

Watson has been injured for the last several weeks, hampered by a contusion on the rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder. However, the QB was back on the field throwing Thursday and could be in the lineup as soon as this Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.

When Watson does return, he will need more than just Amari Cooper as a legitimate target. Elijah Moore has underperformed since joining the team this offseason, and the Browns are listening to trade offers for No. 3 wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones.

Starting tight end David Njoku has been mediocre this season, rating slightly above average at his position league-wide, per Pro Football Focus. Waller’s PFF numbers are more favorable, as the website ranks him the 15th-best tight end out of 68 players qualifying at the position.

Cleveland has nearly $35 million in cap space and perhaps the best defense in the NFL. Watson is getting healthy and the team is coming off a season-defining victory over the formerly undefeated San Francisco 49ers. The Browns need more offensive firepower to make a run at the AFC North and eventually the Super Bowl. Waller can be that guy.