The Cleveland Browns made a major trade with the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft and came out winners. However, GM Andrew Berry had a chance to make another blockbuster deal with the Dallas Cowboys and chose instead to stay put.
For context, the first trade back saw Cleveland swap the No. 6 pick to Kansas City for No. 9. The Browns needed an offensive lineman and were able to select the first one off the board in tackle Spencer Fano of Utah, picking up a third-round asset and a fifth-round selection from the Chiefs for dropping three spots, which also saved Cleveland $10 million in salary on Fano’s rookie deal.
Not long after, Dallas came calling with an offer of pick Nos. 12 and 20 in exchange for pick Nos. 9 and 24, with the Cowboys also willing to toss in a fifth-rounder for the Browns. This time, however, Cleveland said no.
“The #Cowboys offered the #Browns No. 12, No. 20 and a 5th-rounder for No. 9 and No. 24 in an attempt to move ahead of the [New York] Giants for Caleb Downs. Cleveland declined,” Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team posted to X on Sunday, May 3, citing information from ESPN’s The Pick Is In. “Dallas still landed Caleb Downs after the Giants passed on him at No. 10.”
Browns Might Have Lost Spencer Fano to Giants, Dolphins in Trade With Cowboys
GettyOffensive tackle Spencer Fano of the Cleveland Browns.
The potential machinations of Cleveland accepting that deal, and how the board might have played out afterwards, could have meant the Browns ending up with two different players in Round 1.
Dallas eventually flipped two fifth-rounders to the Miami Dolphins to go up from No. 12 to No. 11 and select Downs in what was clearly a move to guarantee no other team swooped in ahead of them for the former Ohio State safety.
New York selected offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa out of the University of Miami at No. 10, while the Dolphins picked Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor at No. 12. Miami presumably would have gone offensive line regardless had they remained at No. 11. Thus, either the Giants or the Dolphins could have taken Fano.
Cleveland may well have ended up with a different offensive lineman had it agreed to move off No. 9 in the Cowboys’ proposed deal. The Browns obviously didn’t want to risk that outcome, so declining the move was a win for the franchise, at least with regards to the player it valued most at its greatest position of need in/around the top 10.
Browns Might Have Taken WR Makai Lemon, Created Bidding War Around Him With 20th Pick in NFL Draft
GettyPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver Makai Lemon.
However, Cleveland may have sacrificed a chance at wide receiver Makai Lemon with pick No. 20 by passing on that offer from Dallas.
The Browns went with a wideout, their other greatest position of need, at No. 24 when they selected KC Concepcion out of Texas A&M as the fourth wide receiver off the board. Meanwhile, Lemon went 20th to the Philadelphia Eagles after Dallas traded the pick.
The Pittsburgh Steelers were on the phone with Lemon, telling him they planned to select him at No. 21 overall when the Eagles made the deal to move up and swiped him out from under their cross-state rivals.
Both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia would have surely been aware of Cleveland’s desire to draft a pass-catcher at No. 20 — had the Browns actually dealt with Dallas, acquired the 20th pick and still taken the best available offensive lineman earlier in Round 1.
That could have led to trade offers to teams ahead of the Browns, perhaps involving the Minnesota Vikings at No. 18 and/or the Carolina Panthers at No. 19, as franchises interested in leapfrogging Cleveland for Lemon jockeyed for position.
Another outcome might have been one, or both, of the Pennsylvania-based franchises making Cleveland an offer for the 20th pick. Had the Browns been content with Concepcion, they could have created a bidding war, moved off 20 and still landed Concepcion while also picking up more assets.
In the end, Cleveland got its OT and WR with pick Nos. 9 and 24 and smashed the first round. The Browns then went on to land wide receiver Denzel Boston and safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren with pick Nos. 39 and 58 in Round 2, respectively, in arguably the best second round of any team in the 2026 draft.
Browns Declined Cowboys’ Blockbuster Trade Offer in 1st Round of NFL Draft: Report