The Cleveland Browns have a new head coach and soon will fill their general manager vacancy. Whenever a team gains a new power structure, that means they could be open for business to trade away players who don’t fit their new philosophy.
The Browns went just 6-10 last season, but they do have talented players on their roster who could certainly help the Patriots. We know where your mind is going, so let’s tackle the biggest name first.
WR ODELL BECKHAM JR.
Since Beckham has already been traded once on his new contract, he’s pretty easy to deal again. He has no guaranteed salary left on what’s essentially a four-year, $60 million contract, which is a bargain for a player of his caliber.
He caught 74 passes for 1,035 yards with just four touchdowns last season with the Browns. New Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski had a run-first approach with the Minnesota Vikings, and he gains running backs Nick Chubb and restricted free agent Kareem Hunt in Cleveland.
The Browns have two high-priced wideouts in Beckham and Jarvis Landry. Cleveland could be better suited to free up one of their salaries to spread across the rest of the roster. They’d open up more cap space by trading Beckham than Landry.
Beckham hasn’t made his infatuation with the Patriots a mystery. If the Patriots traded for Beckham before free agency, then perhaps that could incentivize quarterback Tom Brady to re-sign at a lower salary. Brady and Beckham met for a long time after the Patriots’ win over the Browns this regular season.
Beckham would solve the biggest problem in the Patriots’ offense, their perceived lack of weapons. The Browns just traded first- and third-round pick picks plus two players for Beckham and defensive end Olivier Vernon. It’s easier to give up early on another general manger’s acquisition, so perhaps the Patriots could turn around and send a first for Beckham to get the deal done. His trade value has never been lower after three consecutive pedestrian seasons.
WR TAYWAN TAYLOR
The Browns traded for Taylor before the 2019 season, and he did … nothing. Taylor played three games, starting one, and didn’t catch a pass. He returned three kicks for 53 yards.
He was, however, impressive during joint practices with the Patriots as a member of the Tennessee Titans last summer. And he caught 37 passes for 466 yards with one touchdown in 2018 with the Titans.
At 5-foot-10, 203 pounds with impressive athleticism, the Patriots could view Taylor as a potential future slot option. If he can’t handle the slot, then perhaps he could play the Patriots’ Z-receiver spot.
TE DAVID NJOKU
The 2017 first-round pick showed plenty of potential in 2018, catching 56 passes for 639 yards with four touchdowns. He played just four games with one start in 2019 and caught five passes for 41 yards with a touchdown as he struggled through injuries.
The Patriots should be looking at any and all tight ends this offseason after failing to properly replace Rob Gronkowski in 2019.
