The Cleveland Browns could be looking at a rebuilding year.
That could be great cause to trade away some veterans before the trade deadline.
An obvious candidate is cornerback Greg Newsome, who will play the 2025 season on a $13 million deal as part of his fifth-year option from his first-round rookie contract.
The Athletic’s Zac Jackson spelled out the likelihood of a trade:
“Newsome doesn’t start in the base defense, and the fifth-year option structure means the Browns would incur no dead money if they traded him at some point before November. Both Newsome and Martin Emerson Jr, the team’s No. 2 cornerback, are only signed through 2025. If the Browns can only choose one for the future, given their cap issues, Newsome could be moved strictly based on the savings and 2026 cap rollover a trade would create.”
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The former Northwestern star simply doesn’t seem likely to be in Cleveland beyond this season. So unless the Browns get off to a wildly shocking 5-1 start or something, Newsome should be moved onward.
Cleveland has to start building on the assumption that it finds its franchise quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft. Everything that happens before and around that should be focused on asset building.
That’s what trading Newsome away would be, so it sounds like a smart idea.
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