3 Browns players who should be gone by NFL Trade Deadline

Barring an insane reversal of fortune in the next few games, the subpar play of quarterback Deshaun Watson has set the Cleveland Browns up for yet another season in which they will need to sell at the NFL trade deadline. This team is going nowhere fast, as their current power structure won’t lead to wins.

Watson isn’t going anywhere, as no one wants to swallow the football equivalent of ipecac that his contract has become. Luckily for Andrew Berry and a Browns team that needs to switch some things up, they have some assets that other teams could covet.

These 3 players will have a great deal of interest if Berry wants to sell in a few weeks, which could kick-start a retooling in Cleveland.

3 Cleveland Browns players who should be gone by NFL Trade Deadline

3. RB Jerome Ford
Ford is eventually going to be reduced back to a backup role once Nick Chubb returns to the lineup, and Ford may not have much of a future in Cleveland. The Browns can easily beef up the rest of their roster with a late-round pick for a player that is by no means going to change any games. Still, he’s a worthwhile pickup for depth-needy offenses.

2. WR Elijah Moore

The Browns have tried everything to get Moore to work after acquiring him from the Jets in a trade, but it just doesn’t seem like he is ever going to be anything more than a garden-variety No. 3 receiver. In an offense that is struggling to throw the ball, Moore’s already limited value is getting worse by the day.

Moore supporters will claim that Zach Wilson and the cadaver of Watson is far from a high-end combination of quarterbacks who can get the most out of him, and that theory might be enough for a team with a competent signal-caller to roll the dice. Still just 24 years old, there is potential yet to be tapped into with Moore.

1. EDGE Za’Darius Smith

Smith is sgtill a productive edge rusher who is benefitting from playign alongside Myles Garrett on the defesnive line. While he’s not a star, he can still rush the passer in a somewhat limited role. Teams around the NFL will be looking for that type of X-factor when January comes around.

Smith has one year left on his deal, but the financial investment is minimal and whomever trades for him could cut bait without a huge penalty if it goes sideways. Still, Smith is wasting away on the Browns, and Cleveland might be better turning a draft pick into a young contributor than keeping him around.