It would certainly mark a significant change in how we see the Cleveland Browns, and how they see themselves, if they were to go from a team that dealt away arguably the best player in the game at the time, Myles Garrett, in a move to get younger and acquire draft assets, to a team actively making veteran acquisitions ahead of the NFL trade deadline. And a 3-1 record, no matter how encouraging given the low expectations of this group, is not quite enough to warrant blowing up the plans for the future to focus on winning now.
Still, it is impossible not to notice that the Browns have a very amenable schedule in the near future. Four of their next five are on the road, but the road games are against teams who currently are 4-12 combined. They will play the Ravens at home, possibly without Lamar Jackson.
It’s likely the Browns would head into the trade deadline at 6-4, at least, and 7-3 would be reasonable to project, too. (We are aware that 3-7 is not off the table, either, to be clear.) Would that be enough to persuade Andrew Berry to dip into his deep coffer of future draft picks and bring in immediate help for 2026?
Browns Would Have Options on the Trade Market
If so, the Browns could have some good options to pick from, and perhaps not at expensive prices. The team would like another pass rusher in the mix, and there will be more than a few on the market: Josh Sweat in Arizona, Josh Uche in Miami, Khalil Mack in L.A, all could be on the market.
But at CBS Sports, the guy the Browns are tabbed to land is a New York Giants first-round pick who has been in rumors for more than a year now: Kayvon Thibodeaux.
Kayvon Thibodeaux Could Use a Change
Now, Thibodeaux has mostly been an NFL disappointment, but he could be a change-of-scenery guy. He has 23.5 sacks in his career, and topped out at 11.5 sacks in 2023. The Browns are listed at CBS as the top landing spot for him.
The site notes: “Kayvon Thibodeaux was expected to step up with Brian Burns‘ season-ending injury, but he recorded just two combined tackles and zero sacks playing 95.5% of defensive snaps vs. the Cardinals on Sunday. He’s had just one quarterback hurry in four games played. The former No. 5 overall pick out of Oregon recorded 11.5 sacks in 2023 but has had just eight since.
Thibodeaux has been the subject of trade rumors for quite some time now. It remains to be seen if the Giants would want to move him for a Day 3 pick”
Browns Tabbed Landing Spot for 23.5-Sack Pass Rusher