For the last few weeks, there has been speculation floating around the Cleveland Browns suggesting that the coming NFL trade deadline–which strikes Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET–will be the moment that the team chooses to thin out its crowded, four-man quarterback room. The Browns have Deshaun Watson as the starter, and behind him, there are two former starters, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, and a rookie draft pick Taylen Green. Watson won the job this summer, and has started eight games until he dealt with a concussion last week, opening the door for Sanders’ first start.
Could the Browns weigh moving off one of their current bunch to cut down the QB room to three? That was one of the important topics around Berea on Tuesday.
Shedeur Sanders Trade Possible, But …
According to Mary Kay Cabot, the longtime Browns beat reporter for Cleveland.com, a quarterback trade is not something the browns are looking to do–but it’s not off the table, either.
In an appearance on 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland on Tuesday, she said: “I suppose there is a world in which they could do that, I don’t know. They hadn’t wanted to do that. They like their young quarterbacks, when they look ahead to next year, I think they see a very financially reasonable quarterback room and I think they like that. They have at least one guy they think has a chance to be their quarterback of the future in Shedeur Sanders. So, I don’t think they are clamoring to trade a quarterback.
“But, once again, if there are desperate teams that are going to offer you something you were not expecting, then, I think they will be open to that.”
Browns Could Upgrade Roster
Generally speaking, two areas in which the Browns could seek an upgrade on Tuesday are tight end and pass rusher, two of the thinnest spots on the roster all season. The Browns want a blocking tight end to better free up Harold Fannin as a pass-catcher, and want another pass rusher to bolster that room.
But Cabot said it did not look like anything was pressing:
“There was really nothing brewing, nothing was imminent. Although the Browns were trying to make some things happen, nothing was coming together as of a couple of days ago. So, if they do actually make a trade, and it is entirely possible, but if they do, it is something that will have come out of nowhere over the last couple of days. So, we’ll have to see how it goes. I don’t really know what would be imminent at this point, I don’t know what they would come up with, but they are still trying.”
Browns ‘Not Clamoring’ for Shedeur Sanders Trade at NFL Deadline