Browns Stand Pat at Trade Deadline
The Cleveland Browns didn't make any moves at the trading deadline, opting to maintain their roster for the second half of the season.
The expectation was that the Browns would seek players that either had deals remaining on their contracts or could be extended, avoiding the prospect of rentals.
That was the model that the Browns applied when it came to acquiring Ronnie Harrison from the Jacksonville Jaguars for a fifth round pick as the season was set to begin. It has proven successful as Harrison has played well this season and still has one more year left on his rookie deal. The deal was as much about 2021 as it was 2020, which was the goal for the Browns.
The only deal that stood out at the deadline was the trade of Desmond King from the Los Angeles Chargers to the Tennessee Titans for a sixth round pick. Peculiar on multiple fronts, the Titans may not be able to re-sign King after this season, but they will have his compensatory if he does sign elsewhere, which could end up being worth a third or fourth round pick depending on his contract value.
Perhaps the Chargers are confident they will be able to sign King back on the open market and they would then get a sixth round pick for half a season, getting him back for the 2021 season.
Had the Chargers made a deal with the expected result of signing a contract extension with the new team for King, they likely would've gotten more in the trade. It's possible the Titans could still do that, but between their own salary cap situation and King's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, it does seem like they are intent on getting to the open market.
In that sense, the Titans could be in the mix to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl and perhaps King could put them over the top in that regard. The Browns aren't, so renting King for half a season didn't see worthwhile. Had they been able to get him, then sign him to an extension, that might be a missed opportunity to reshape their defense with some lead time to acclimate.
David Njoku had requested a trade, but the Browns never truly entertained offers. Getting a late round pick doesn't help them, so they would need a player in return. And Njoku helps them more than the player they would likely get in return, so as much as that attempted to be a story to follow, there was never anything there. The Browns value Njoku quite a bit, which is they picked up his fifth-year option.
The Browns are more than capable of making the playoffs without making a trade at this point, but they aren't a trade away from the Super Bowl. They are more focused on continuing to evaluate what they have now while making plans to make a bigger run in 2021 and 2022.
