Browns Need To Make Trade Deadline Moves After Seahawks Loss

The Cleveland Browns dropped the ball Sunday in Seattle, allowing the Seahawks to steal a win from them in the final minutes after a costly interception late from P.J. Walker.

Now, they can’t drop the ball again over these next crucial two days.

The Browns need to be active ahead of the NFL trade deadline Tuesday at 4 p.m., and their loss to the Seahawks only cemented that notion even further.

General Manager Andrew Berry could look to upgrade several positions to help the Browns sustain a playoff push. Running back, wide receiver and quarterback should all be among the most pressing spots.

Wherever Berry looks, the Browns undoubtedly need to upgrade their offense with more playmakers. Amari Cooper has been the only reliable wide receiver and was great again Sunday, catching six passes for 89 yards. TE David Njoku was solid, too, and tallied a season-high 77 yards with one touchdown.

But that was about the extent of the Browns’ offensive damage.

The Browns’ running back trio of Jerome Ford, Kareem Hunt and Pierre Strong Jr. averaged four yards per carry against the Seahawks, which has been about the standard in their run game since the Browns lost Pro Bowl RB Nick Chubb for the season in Week 2.

The group has done an admirable job filling the void from Chubb — the Browns still entered Week 7 ranked second in the league in rushing yards per game — but adding another explosive rusher could provide immense help to the offense.

At receiver, Elijah Moore, Marquise Goodwin and rookie Cedric Tillman — the biggest additions to the room last offseason — have all started slow. None of them have caught a touchdown yet, which has left most of the heavy lifting up to Cooper.

Cooper is certainly capable of continuing to carry the load, but another capable receiver could go a long way toward improving what’s been a pedestrian passing game.

And then, of course, there’s the situation at quarterback.

The Browns need Deshaun Watson to get healthy. More than anything else, though, they need him to play well whenever he does return from a shoulder injury that's kept him sidelined for most of the last month.

But if Watson has to miss any more time with his shoulder injury, the Browns could do better than starting Walker, who looked better commanding the offense Sunday after a full week of preparation but has still largely struggled since his first starts three weeks ago. He’s thrown just one touchdown and five interceptions.

With or without Watson, the Browns need a lot more from their offense to become a playoff threat. They have draft picks and cap space (about $35 million) to work with, and Berry shouldn’t be afraid to dig into those resources.

The Browns are still a good team even after their loss Sunday, but other well-built teams around the league are going to improve with deals over the next two days.

If they want to avoid similar frustrating results such as the one they endured Sunday, the Browns need to be active, too.