Cleveland Browns Offseason Prime: Roster Breakdown, Trade Ideas, Draft Needs

The NFL season came to a close on Sunday, with the Seattle Seahawks claiming victory in Super Bowl LX. Now, it’s time for the Cleveland Browns to shift their focus to the offseason and begin planning for the future.

Cleveland has a few roster issues it needs to sort out over the next month, but here's a solid overview of what the roster looks like as we head into the offseason.

Roster Breakdown

The Browns are building a formidable defense, with most of their key players set to return for the upcoming season. Cleveland features a robust defensive line, highlighted by standout pass rushers like Myles Garrett, Isaiah McGuire and Alex Wright. Additionally, the team has plenty of depth at defensive tackle, thanks to talented players such as Mason Graham, Mike Hall Jr., Maliek Collins and Adin Huntington.

Cleveland discovered a talented linebacker in Carson Schwesinger during the 2025 NFL Draft, but his running mate, Devin Bush, is set to become a free agent.

The secondary is still in good hands with cornerbacks Denzel Ward, Tyson Campbell and safety Grant Delpit.

The offensive line has a lot of work ahead and starts with the basics. All five current starters — tackles Cam Robinson and Jack Conklin, guards Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller, and center Ethan Pocic — will be free agents. There’s a good chance that the Browns may not be looking to bring any of them back.

Cleveland should prioritize enhancing the wide receiver group to support Jerry Jeudy. Furthermore, the tight end position will need a reliable connection with Harold Fannin Jr., especially since David Njoku might not be coming back next season.

Regarding the quarterbacks throwing to the wide receivers and tight ends, the situation is still a work in progress with Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson, and Dillon Gabriel. At the same time, the running back room will likely lose Jerome Ford but still have Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson heading into year two.

Cleveland will be looking for significant offensive help this season, and here are a few trades that could improve the Browns.

Trades

The first trade that Cleveland might consider is acquiring quarterback Mac Jones from the San Francisco 49ers. Jones still has one season left on his contract, and given his performance when Brock Purdy was injured last year, it would likely require the Browns to part with a third-round pick.

If the Browns are serious about winning games in 2026, then Jones might be the best option they can find in the quarterback room.

Whoever is playing quarterback for the Browns will need a reliable receiver to throw to, and the Chicago Bears might be looking to part ways with DJ Moore.

The Bears have two promising young wide receivers, Rome Odunze and Luther Burden II, who could lead to D.J. Moore being traded. Moore signed a four-year, $110 million contract extension in 2024, but the deal doesn’t kick in until the upcoming season. He’ll carry a $28.5 million cap hit in 2026, which could make him a candidate for a trade in exchange for a middle-round draft pick.

Draft Needs

The Browns have a couple of significant needs to address in the 2026 NFL Draft, and the good news is they can address them in the first round. Cleveland must find a left tackle and a young wide receiver. With the No. 6 and No. 24 picks, along with several more selections from rounds two to seven, it has a solid opportunity to fill these gaps.