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The Green Bay Packers may have growing championship aspirations after a 5-2 start to the 2024 season, but one analyst believes there is still one move they could make to push them over the edge before the NFL trade deadline.
The 33rd Team’s Marcus Mosher recently concocted “five trade ideas for Super Bowl contenders” and proposed the Packers should send their 2025 third-round pick to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for former first-round cornerback Greg Newsome II.
“The Green Bay Packers have been searching for another quality cornerback to pair with Jaire Alexander, and Newsome seems like a perfect fit,” Mosher wrote on October 18. “They have the cap space to absorb his salary, and Newsome’s ability to play outside and in the slot would make a ton of sense in Green Bay.
“The Packers are clearly in a Super Bowl window, and adding Newsome for a mid-round pick would make a lot of sense for both parties.”
Mosher isn’t the only one thinking Newsome could fit well with the Packers. Following Green Bay’s win over Houston in Week 7, Bleacher Report’s NFL Scouting Department also identified Newsome as the one player the Packers should “add now” to solve their problem at the No. 2 cornerback spot opposite All-Pro starter Jaire Alexander.
“As mentioned last week, Eric Stokes has been struggling so far this season,” BR’s staff wrote on October 21. “That could impact the Packers’ ability to make a playoff/Super Bowl run, so the front office should look into bringing in a second corner to play on the other side of Jaire Alexander.”
Greg Newsome Could Offer Long-Term Answer at CB
The Packers seemed like they could have solid cornerback depth outside of Alexander at the onset of the 2024 season. They had Eric Stokes — the No. 29 overall pick in 2021 — healthy again and looking to recapture the spark from his rookie season before injuries knocked him off course the past two seasons. They also returned Carrington Valentine to compete with Stokes after a standout rookie season on the boundary in 2023.
Unfortunately for the Packers, neither bet has panned out early in the season. Stokes has struggled to make a positive impact in the No. 2 role, allowing 20 receptions and an opposing passer rating of 107.6 on 30 targets through the first seven games with zero interceptions or pass breakups. Meanwhile, Valentine has missed time with an ankle injury and allowed two completions on just three targets over 82 total defensive snaps.
The Packers could simply hold out hope that one or both cornerbacks will bounce back for them in the second half of the regular season, but a trade for Newsome could take them to the next level — and potentially provide them with a long-term solution.
While Newsome has dealt with his own struggles throughout the Browns’ 1-6 start to 2024, he finished as one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks in press coverage during the 2023 season. According to Pro Football Focus, he played 148 snaps in press coverage and allowed 149 yards and zero touchdowns while being targetted 18.2% of the time, earning the No. 5 spot on PFF’s preseason rankings for the best NFL press corners.
Newsome also finished the 2023 season with a 33.3% forced completion rate, tallying a career-high two interceptions and 14 pass breakups in just 13 starts for the Browns.
Would Packers Gain Enough in Greg Newsome Trade?
The Packers could significantly improve their cornerback depth if they made a deal for Newsome before the trade deadline, but it is not a move that would come without risk.
For starters, the Packers would likely need to cough over a Day 2 pick at a minimum. Mosher predicted the Browns would deal away Newsome for a third-round pick, but they could demand a second-rounder if there are multiple teams interested. After all, the worst-case scenario for the Browns would be keeping Newsome, who could still fit into their long-term plans at the position even as they prepare for a likely rebuild.
The Packers have never traded for a player at the deadline under general manager Brian Gutekunst, so it seems unlikely that Gutekunst would break that trend and trade away a premium asset for a player who has yet to rise to a Pro Bowl level in his first four years.
That said, the Packers would not be trading for a player in the final season of his contract. The Browns already picked up Newsome’s 2025 fifth-year option, so the team would acquire the remainder of his $2.39 salary in 2024 along with his fully guaranteed $13.37 million salary in 2025, giving them roughly a season-and-a-half to evaluate his fit with their defense and whether they should sign him to a long-term extension.
Fittingly, the Packers would need to make their decision on Newsome around the time they would need to decide on Alexander’s future, in such a scenario. Alexander’s cap hit grows to a contract-high $27.3 million in 2026, at which point the Packers will need to figure out if he still fits into their long-term plans at the cornerback position.
Even if Alexander is still playing at an elite level then, Newsome helps hedge their bet.
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