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Nick Chubb and Myles Garrett are cornerstone pieces for the Cleveland Browns, but if the Browns struggle next season, would either be on the trade block?
The Browns are entering the year with high expectations and have the most talented team on paper since Kevin Stefanski took over in 2020.
The results under Stefanski have been mixed. The Browns made it to the postseason and won a Wild Card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers during his first season. However, it’s been disappointing the last two years, with the Browns missing the postseason and finishing with a losing record.
A question was posted to Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com about the idea of the Browns potentially trading Chubb or Garrett if the wheels fall off early. In short, she doesn’t see it happening, even if the team starts 1-3 or 0-4.
“As for trading Chubb and Garrett at 1-3, they’re core players around whom this team is built, and they’ll be integral parts of a playoff contender next year if it doesn’t happen this year,” Cabot wrote. “Even if the Browns go 0-4 — which would absolutely shock me — I don’t see them trading away core players. But the wheels have a tendency to come off in those situations, so staff changes would possibly be forthcoming. It promises to be a wild first four weeks before the bye, so strap in!”
Greg Newsome Potential Trade Option for Browns
An interesting side note is that Greg Newsome was involved in the initial question but Cabot did not include him as players the Browns would not trade away. Cleveland has a trio of strong options at cornerback in Newsome, Denzel Ward and Martin Emerson Jr.
Last year, Newsome ended up playing a chunk of time in the slot, something he did not enjoy.
“I would say the most difficult part about playing inside is really not even run fits, I would say just knowing like you aren’t in man too much,” Newsome told Brad Stainbrook of TheOBR.com. “It’s just really the competitive nature. I feel like it’s less competitive. There’s not a lot of one on ones and things like that. I feel like my body type is not fit to be in the box for half of the game. Just me being a competitor, I feel like I’m helping the team a little bit more.”
It’s unknown what kind of role Newsome — the Browns first-round pick in 2021 — will have under Jim Schwartz and the Browns’ new defensive coordinator made it clear that his decisions won’t be based on player happiness.
“The happiness of players is not my concern, and that’s not going to be the determining factor of how we play guys or anything else,” Schwartz said during minicamp. “We’re going to do what’s best for our team. We’re going to play guys in the best matchups. And our job as coaches is to put guys in positions that they can succeed.”
Browns Face Decision With Nick Chubb
The running back position is not as valued as it once was, which was made evident this offseason with some notable names unable to find new teams. However, the Browns have an impact player in Chubb, who rushed for 1,525 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. It was his fourth consecutive season rushing for over 1,000 yards and his career 5.2 per carry average is among the league’s elite.
Chubb will have the second-highest cap hit among running backs this season at $14.85 million. That number will rise to $16.2 million next season but the Browns have a potential out, which would result in $12 million of savings.
Paying a premium for a running back might not be something that some teams are willing to do but Cleveland keeping Chubb around seems like the right path considering his track record. Running back production can drop off in a hurry but Chubb has shown no signs of slowing down.
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