NFL Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz on Browns Talks, Patriots' Pursuit of O.J. Howard

The Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots both came into the season with a lot of fanfare and high expectations for their offenses. Now, the Patriots have scored the most points in the league (223), while the Browns have scored the seventh-least (120). As the October 29 trade deadline looms nearer, Cleveland is looking to fix its attack while New England is, of course, dissatisfied and still trying to improve.  

For the Browns, that means bolstering the offensive line and giving Baker Mayfield more time to throw the ball to his receiving weapons. A team with Mayfield, Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry and Nick Chubb should not be averaging just 231.3 passing yards per game—unless it's because they're blowing teams out by enough to just run the clock out. For the 2-4 Browns, that is obviously not the case.

Losing David Njoku to injury hurt Cleveland's intermediary options, so Chubb's receptions per game have actually increased from 1.3 to 3.3 this season. Conversely, Landry and Beckham Jr.'s receptions per game have shockingly decreased. Cleveland's offensive line is crumbling instantly under pressure, counteracting the team's downfield passing philosophy.

Instead of using Juice and OBJ in the shallow game, Juice's yards per reception have actually increased to 17.6 (from 12.0 in 2018) and OBJ's to 15.0 (from 13.7). As the team continues to try to force the ball downfield, Juice's receptions per game have dropped to a career-low 4.2 (from 6.0 over his career) while OBJ's have dropped to a career-low 4.8 (from 6.6). 

Landry and Beckham Jr. are somehow averaging significantly less receptions with Mayfield under center than they had with guys like Jay Cutler and Eli Manning. John Dorsey, hungry to rectify his team's air game, is consequently pushing to trade for an offensive lineman.

His first option is Trent Williams, who refuses to play for the Washington Redskins. But, with Washington's stubbornness in play, Jason La Canfora has reported that the New York Giants' Nate Solder is the next target.

If he, too, is unavailable, then Yahoo's Charles Robinson reported that the team is likely to eye Philadelphia Eagles' backup tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai. Whoever Cleveland ends up with, they will almost certainly be an upgrade over the current security Mayfield is dealing with.

Elsewhere, New England's push for Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end O.J. Howard may not be over. After cutting then re-signing Benjamin Watson, it is clear that tight end is one of the few positions the Patriots could foreseeably upgrade.

Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer reported that Bill Belichick's organization is still interested in Howard, but it may pursue other options if Tampa Bay remains uncooperative.

All signs point to Howard being available if the offer is right, though. Bruce Arians has remained steadfast in his view that Howard's lack of involvement is not the team's fault, and that was clear when he was asked about the absence of action in Week 7: "He dropped two balls last week."

While Arians may cite the game-flow and drops for Howard's disappearance, we're reaching the halfway point of the season, and the numbers are undeniable. After averaging six targets per game in 2018, Howard is getting just three this season. 

There is a terrifying world in which the Patriots go into the second half of the year with James White, Julian Edelman, Mohamed Sanu and Howard rounding out the focal points of Tom Brady's passing attack.