The Cleveland Browns have a host of options with the No. 2 pick in the NFL draft, including potentially trading it for an elite talent.
Colin Cowherd of Fox Sports on Thursday, January 16, authored a trade proposal in which some team inside the top-5 picks (give or take a couple of spots) flips that selection for a monster haul from the Pittsburgh Steelers. The context behind the hypothetical deal is that Pittsburgh decides to pursue a QB in the first round — namely Shedeur Sanders of Colorado.
“I would trade T.J. Watt, George Pickens [and] two first-round picks if your scouting department said, ‘Shedeur Sanders is the guy,’” Cowherd said. “Because I think Cam Ward is gonna go No. 1. I think Shedeur Sanders you could get at Nos. 5, 6 or 7.”
Watt, 30, has played eight seasons in the league. He has earned Pro Bowl honors seven times, made an All-Pro team five times, led the league in sacks on three occasions and won the Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2021. He has amassed a total of 108 sacks in his career.
Browns Must Consider Future of Myles Garrett as Part of NFL Draft Strategy
GettyPittsburgh Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt.
That kind of move has a several possible implications for a Browns team that could go in a handful of directions this offseason.
If Cleveland decides to rebuild, taking a quarterback at No. 2 as an inexpensive replacement for Deshaun Watson might make the most sense — but only if the Browns really believe in Ward or Sanders — or some other player — at that early point in the proceedings.
Star defensive end Myles Garrett has expressed a desire for an outline from the franchise on how it plans to compete immediately, lest he push for a trade taking him elsewhere. Selecting a rookie QB and naming him the new starter has the potential to rub the reigning Defensive Player of the Year the wrong way, which would argue for the Browns potentially dealing Garrett for a huge haul if they want to go quarterback early.
On the other hand, the Atlanta Falcons are probably going to cut Kirk Cousins ahead of a mid-March deadline, at which point they will have pay him a $10 million roster bonus. Should that happen, the Browns could potentially offer Cousins the starting job on a league-minimum deal, as Atlanta would be on the hook for his $27.5 million base salary in 2025.
That would allow Cleveland to roll with a four-time Pro Bowl QB just two years removed from his last playoff start, trade the second pick to the Steelers and pair Garrett and Watt together in what would immediately become the most fearsome pass-rushing duo in the NFL.
Browns Could Trade No. 2 Pick, Look at Jalen Milroe in Second Round
GettyQuarterback Jalen Milroe of the Alabama Crimson Tide.
The Browns could employ the same basic plan by signing Justin Fields to a one-year prove-it deal in free agency and paying him $9 million to replace Watson and serve as a bridge to a young QB — perhaps Jalen Milroe, who played under new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees at Alabama.
Adding Pickens would also fill a need alongside Jerry Jeudy, as Cleveland would then have two borderline No. 1 options at receiver in lieu of an elite top target and a clear No. 2 backing him up.
Pittsburgh owns the No. 21 pick in this year’s draft and will likely end up somewhere in the mid-teens to mid-20s next year, which is when the second first-round selection in Cowherd’s hypothetical proposal would likely convey were the Browns and Steelers to reach an agreement.
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