3 Players Browns Must Consider Trading at 2022 NFL Deadline
The Cleveland Browns could be the most fascinating team at the 2022 NFL trade deadline.
The AFC North side could also end up as the most active franchise because of the impending free agents it could ship out for draft capital.
Cleveland dropped to 2-5 with its loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, and its upcoming schedule does not have many guaranteed wins on it. Cincinnati, Miami, Buffalo and Tampa Bay are its next four opponents.
The Browns front office may be willing to offload Kareem Hunt and others to help build back a small part of the draft capital that was traded away for Deshaun Watson.
Watson's massive contract will constrain the Browns in re-signing some of their impending free agents as well, so it may be time for a fire sale if the team drops to 2-6 on Monday night.
Kareem Hunt
Kareem Hunt is one of the biggest names on the NFL trade market, if not the biggest.
Hunt is scheduled to become a free agent at the end of the season, and it seems unlikely that the Browns will consider re-signing him.
Cleveland can't justify giving a ton of money to a 27-year-old running back when it already has Nick Chubb on a contract for the next three years.
Hunt would fetch the biggest return on the trade market for the Browns, and that may be the primary reason to deal him now.
Cleveland has a second-round pick and five Day 3 selections in the 2023 NFL draft at the moment. The first-and-third-round selections went to Houston in the Deshaun Watson trade.
The Browns will not get a first or second for a running back on an expiring deal, but a third- or fourth-round pick would be a nice get given their situation.
Hunt could help a handful of contenders right now, so it would be wise of the Browns to explore a trade for him before the deadline
Jack Conklin
While Hunt is the flashy trade target, Jack Conklin is the more practical piece teams will call the Browns about.
Conklin is set to hit free agency at the end of the season, and he could have plenty of suitors on the trade market because of the offensive line injuries suffered across the league.
Cleveland would love to have Conklin on the line to protect Watson when he returns, but that may not be an option if the right offer comes in.
The Browns have to weigh how competitive they think they will be over the next few weeks and setting up their long-term future by adding picks for expiring deals.
There is a chance the Browns still have two wins when Watson returns and they miss an opportunity to collect picks for players, like Conklin, if they hold on to him.
Conklin would not fetch an abundance of picks because of his contract status, but if the Browns could add a few late-round picks, or something as high as a third-round selection, it could be a major win for the future.
Greedy Williams
Greedy Williams is similar to Hunt and Conklin because he is an impending free agent.
The differences between the fourth-year cornerback and the other Browns trade targets begin with playing time.
Williams is behind Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome on the cornerback depth chart, and that does not bode well for his chances to re-sign with the team in the offseason.
A midseason trade may be best for both parties because it gives Williams a chance to prove his worth elsewhere before free agency and it allows the Browns to collect an extra draft pick.
Williams returned from a hamstring injury in Week 6, but his playing time has been at a minimum. He was on the field for 22 percent of Cleveland's defensive snaps in Week 7.
If Williams does not fit into Cleveland's plans, it would make sense to trade him, along with a few others, so that the Browns can build back to being a playoff contender with some young players around Watson and Chubb who are added through extra draft picks.