Browns Insider Suggests 3 Potential Trade Candidates on Roster

The Cleveland Browns face difficult roster decisions this offseason as they navigate an uncertain quarterback situation and evaluate potential trades involving key veterans after the team's disappointing 2024 campaign.

When asked whether the Browns have longtime or well-known players who might be on the bubble or trade block later this summer, The Athletic's Zac Jackson's assessment revealed a franchise facing uncertainty at multiple positions while balancing short-term and long-term needs.

"This is a tough one given the uncertainty across the Browns' roster," Jackson noted. "It's possible—maybe even likely—that either Flacco or Pickett won't be on the team, and that the Browns will keep two rookie quarterbacks. Cornerback Greg Newsome II is under contract only through 2025 and could be traded sometime between August and early November with no dead cap hit.

Jackson added that the Browns recently parted ways with 30-year-old defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo in a move that may signal the start of additional cost-cutting measures.

Cleveland's quarterback situation continues to be the team's most intriguing storyline heading into training camp, given the Browns' full quarterback room of mostly unproven talent. Joe Flacco was brought in as an established veteran presence, while Kenny Pickett remains unproven despite his acquisition. Rookies Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel round out the depth chart, with an injured Deshaun Watson potentially returning late in the year.

In a perfect world, either Sanders or Gabriel would win the starting quarterback role and eventually develop into the franchise's long-term solution at the position. However, a more realistic scenario would see the rookies assume backup and third-string roles, potentially making one of the team's veteran QBs expendable—and tradable.

Unfortunately, there is currently a limited market for both the aging Flacco and the unproven Pickett. The Browns may need to wait for preseason injuries to quarterbacks on other teams to generate meaningful interest from quarterback-needy franchises. The Browns may need to wait for preseason injuries to quarterbacks around the league to create trade demand. Keeping all four quarterbacks remains a possibility, but trading a veteran would be ideal, especially to recover value from the Pickett trade with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The potential trade scenario including Greg Newsome II presents a different set of challenges. However, the former first-round pick is entering the final year of his contract, making this potentially the best opportunity to trade him for draft capital before he reaches free agency.

Newsome started at cornerback as a rookie and held the job through his first three seasons, with the Browns gradually using him more in slot coverage in sub-packages. Martin Emerson Jr. took over the starting job in 2024, but Newsome played extensively both inside and outside, splitting time fairly evenly between the two roles.

Newsome managed three starts across 13 games before suffering a season-ending hamstring injury in Week 14. CB Cameron Mitchell proceeded to struggle as the Browns' third corner, and over the course of the season, Emerson generally failed to impress.

The Browns' secondary depth concerns make a potential Newsome trade particularly problematic. With Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward anchoring the outside and minimal proven depth behind him, moving Newsome would create a sizeable hole in a unit that needs to rebound from a surprisingly down year for Cleveland to remain competitive in 2025.