3 Players Browns Must Target to Remain in the Playoff Race
The Cleveland Browns have to evaluate where they stand in the AFC hierarchy during their Week 5 bye.
The Browns are off to a decent start at 2-2 and their place in the playoff race could improve over the next few weeks.
Cleveland plays the Indianapolis Colts, Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals in three of its four games out of the bye and it could be in a position to pounce on the trade market if it plays well in October.
Kevin Stefanski's side has two clear needs at the moment. It needs some help at running back to help pick up Nick Chubb's production and support at wide receiver for Amari Cooper.
The trade market should have plenty of intriguing offensive skill position players on it, and the Browns would be wise to at least make one move to improve their standing in the AFC by the end of October.
Marquise Brown
1 of 3
The Browns are no strangers to making big splashes in the trade market.
That strategy would put them in play for Marquise Brown if the Arizona Cardinals continue to struggle.
Brown is in the last year of his contract and the Cardinals could be willing to move on from him in exchange for a draft pick to increase their chances of a high NFL draft pick.
The Browns need one more impact pass-catcher to partner Cooper. Moore has done a decent job as the No. 2 target, but the depth falls off significantly after him. Cooper and Moore are the only wide outs with over 100 receiving yards through four weeks.
A Cooper-Brown pairing with Moore as the No. 3 option along with David Njoku at tight end would give Deshaun Watson a formidable group of pass-catchers to work with.
A trio of Cooper, Brown and Moore would give the Browns the edge at wide receiver over both the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North, and maybe even the Cincinnati Bengals in certain weeks.
Courtland Sutton
2 of 3
Cleveland's lofty ambitions should leave all trade options on the table.
Courtland Sutton could be on his way out of the Denver Broncos if they continue to fail in Sean Payton's first season as head coach.
Sutton has two years left on his current contract, but there is a potential out this offseason, and that could benefit the Browns.
The Browns might not be able to afford the $26 million left on Sutton's deal in 2024 and 2025, but they could manage to use him as a season-long rental.
Sutton comes into Week 5 with 20 catches, 216 yards and three touchdowns. He would be an instant upgrade over any wide receiver outside of Cooper inside the Browns offense.
A Cooper-Sutton duo would significantly bolster the Browns' playoff chances, and it might just push them past the Ravens in the AFC North title race.
Josh Jacobs
3 of 3
Josh Jacobs is one of the few running backs across the league who could give the Browns a comparable replacement for Chubb.
The Las Vegas Raiders do not look like anything close to a playoff team, and they might be willing to offload some of their best players for draft picks.
Jacobs signed a one-year deal in the offseason, so he would be an inexpensive rental for the Browns as they chase down a playoff spot.
Jacobs would allow the Browns to run the same type of offense they did when Chubb was healthy.
Jerome Ford has filled in as well as he could, and Kareem Hunt could be more productive after the Week 5 bye, but neither player would make as big of an impact as Jacobs would on the offense.
Cleveland has shown its willingness to take big swings, and if it deals for Jacobs, it could be on the inside track to win the AFC North.
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