The Cleveland Browns have a lot to think about with the NFL trade deadline coming up next Tuesday. Do they make some moves to ship out pieces that don't fit the long-term picture? Should they stand pat and try to compete this year?
Honestly, at 2-6, the Browns are not going to be a playoff team this season. It would take a miracle for that to happen.
While it's not "impossible," that they could make an amazing run and get back into contention, it's incredibly unlikely. What is a guarantee is that Cleveland will need a lot of talent to fix all of the issues that they currently have with their roster.
Making the decision to trade some veteran pieces and focus on getting younger seems like the smart business decision.
If they do opt to trade a few more pieces, star pass rusher Za'Darius Smith would be at the top of the list. He has been one of the most talked about names in the rumor mill over the last few weeks.
Frank Schwab of Yahoo! Sports has suggested one possible move that would send Smith out of town. He thinks the Atlanta Falcons could be a prime destination for the veteran edge rusher.
"The Falcons traded for Matthew Judon, and still rank near the bottom of the NFL with 15 sacks. Maybe another trade would do the trick. Smith has five sacks this season and the Browns, at 2-6, shouldn't be talking themselves into being in the playoff race. Smith could help a Falcons team that seems well on its way to winning the NFC South after sweeping the Buccaneers."
Smith has put together a strong start to the 2024 NFL season with the Browns. He has racked up 22 total tackles to go along with five sacks in eight games played.
From a pure pass-rushing standpoint alone, he's an elite target for taems around the league.
Granted, making the decision to become a seller is never an easy one to make. The Cleveland front office will be battling with that question all week long. However, when a team is clearly not a contender and there are a lot of issues in play, adding draft capital to help speed up or avoid a rebuild is always smart.
Expect to hear a ton of rumors surrounding the Browns over the next few days. The trade deadline is coming quickly and it would not be surprising at all to see Smith on a new team by next Tuesday.
