Will Browns Trade For Jonathan Taylor After Nick Chubb Injury?

The Browns likely lost Nick Chubb for the rest of the 2023 season, but NFL fans waved the Jonathan Taylor signal in an attempt to salvage Cleveland’s season.

Chubb suffered a grotesque knee injury during the Browns’ loss to the Steelers in Pittsburgh on Monday, and head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters after the game the team expected it was a season-ending injury.

Cleveland is 1-1 after the first two weeks of the season, but the third AFC wild-card spot doesn’t rule it out completely. That’s why Taylor, who started the season on the physical-unable-to-perform list, was floated as an option among pundits like former New England Patriots executive Michael Lombardi.

Oddsmakers at DraftKings leaned toward that happening when updated next-team odds were released Tuesday. The Browns were the favorite to be Taylor’s next team at +175 with the Miami Dolphins (+300) and the Baltimore Ravens (+400) rounding out the top three.

Cleveland has the resources to give Taylor what the Indianapolis Colts refused to give the star running back this past offseason. The franchise’s backing of Deshaun Watson after his multiple sexual misconduct allegations showed the Browns were willing to do whatever it takes to present a good product on the field, though that has yet to show itself in Watson’s first eight games with the Browns.

The Texans hold the Browns’ 2024 first-round pick from the Watson trade, but if Cleveland takes the Los Angeles Rams’ approach with draft picks, that would be a win for the Colts since there is no guarantee Taylor is the missing piece for the Browns as analysts seem to believe, especially given his injury history. However, Indianapolis reportedly had lofty requests in trade negotiations, so it might continue its self-inflicted issues with its star.

It’s why Miami is unlikely to go after Taylor. Dalvin Cook, who the Dolphins had interest in, didn’t show off his Pro Bowl production in his first two games with the New York Jets. There’s very little reason for the Dolphins or the Ravens to go all in for Taylor.

Rams running back Cam Akers is on the market, too. Cleveland also could call its former back Kareem Hunt off the street. They would be cheaper options than Taylor, but the Browns notoriously have not been known to make smart decisions.