Grading every trade the Cleveland Browns have made this season

The Cleveland Browns are 2-6 and surprisingly sat on their hands at the NFL trade deadline.

While conventional football wisdom would tell you that a two-win team should sell assets for future draft capital, the Browns told the national media that they were planning on buying at the deadline.

That didn’t materialize, as Cleveland’s only move was trading rotational outside linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka for a late-round pick swap.

But prior to Tuesday afternoon's trade deadline, the Browns made a plethora of decisions that have led them to where we sit today. Let’s grade every trade they have made this season:

Joe Tryon-Shoyinka to the Chicago Bears: A

The Browns gave Tryon-Shoyinka a one-year deal this offseason, but he hasn’t made much of an impact.

Browns general manager Andrew Berry sent Tryon-Shoyinka and a seventh-round pick to the Bears for a sixth-rounder. Virtually, Berry was able to use an expiring contract to trade up in day three of the draft.

Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz has a very deep defensive line, and while Tryon-Shoyinka has cracked the rotation, he was just unnecessary help.

Greg Newsome to the Jacksonville Jaguars: A

In October, the Browns traded Greg Newsome to the Jacksonville Jaguars for Tyson Campbell in a cornerback swap.

The Browns had no interest in extending Newsome and Campbell has already been extended, making this a very logical financial decision.

Schematically, it certainly feels like Campbell fits Schwartz’s scheme better than Newsome did.

Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals: D

It would be dramatic to give this a failing grade when you zoom out and realize the Browns received a draft pick for the player they had just benched.

However, the optics of trading Flacco in a pick swap to a division rival felt icky and was blasted by Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.

Not to mention, Flacco has looked much better with the Bengals. He’s coming off a performance where his offense scored 40 points and he threw for almost 500 yards. It put Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski further under a microscope, as Cleveland’s offense continues to flounder.

The fifth-round pick probably wasn’t worth the headache this has caused.

Cam Robinson from the Houston Texans for a sixth-round pick: C

When the Browns lost Dawand Jones for the season, they were left without an option at left tackle.

They traded a sixth-round pick in exchange for Robinson and a seventh-rounder.

While Cleveland’s offensive tackles have both struggled all year, the Browns needed to try something to protect their quarterbacks.

Kenny Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders for a fifth-round pick: D

The NFL is a copycat league.

Right now, the trend is retread first-round quarterbacks. Baker Mayfield saved his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Sam Darnold is a fringe MVP candidate with the Seattle Seahawks. Daniel Jones is the story of the season with the first-place Indianapolis Colts.

It seemed like the Browns were going to try and make Pickett their reclamation project when they traded a fifth-round pick and Dorian Thompson-Robinson to acquire him this offseason.

But when a hamstring injury derailed his preseason, the Browns desperately moved Pickett for a fifth-round pick to solve their four-man quarterback competition.

If Pickett really was an option that could’ve turned his career around while winning games, which is why the Browns actively went out of their way to trade for him, then why flip him for a meaningless fifth-rounder?

This poor decision was magnified after the team moved on from Flacco and won’t turn things over to Shedeur Sanders in light of Dillon Gabriel’s struggles.

Jawon Briggs to the Jets for a sixth-round pick: B

Almost identical to the Tryon-Shoyinka trade, the Browns had a surplus on their offensive line and needed to cut some fat.

This one gets a worse grade because unlike Tryon-Shoyinka, who barely sees the field, Briggs has been a bright spot for a bad Jets team.