Peyton Hillis Trade Speculation: Cleveland Browns NFL's Most Dysfunctional Team?

There's no denying the swirl of trade speculation that has surrounded Browns running back Peyton Hillis since he refused to play in Cleveland's Week 3 game against the Miami Dolphins. Add that talk with Hillis' poor performance today against the Raiders and his apparent hamstring injury, and you have a whirlwind of speculation likely to spread. 

Today's game against Oakland was supposed to silence all the critics. Head coach Pat Shurmur had announced that Hillis would see more touches and a stud-like performance would have put all the trade talk to rest. 

In a perfect world, that would have happened.

Instead, the Browns star RB ended the game with 14 yards on six attempts, a "tweaked" hamstring, and more questions than answers. 

There is no doubt that Hillis, Shurmur and the organization as a whole have created a huge distraction for the entire Browns football team. Hillis, coming off a star season where he recorded 1,177 rushing yards and 11 touchdown, wants a star-caliber payday.

But even though he wants elite RB money, have his career numbers truly warranted that status? It's possible that the Browns are not ready to shell out the big bucks after one stud year. 

Nonetheless, Hillis' frustration with the Browns is understandable. Cleveland has a monster of an offensive line led by Pro Bowl center Alex Mack and left tackle Joe Thomas, yet on average they throw the ball over 43 times a game. Although his numbers are far down from last season, Hillis is still clearly one of the best players on the Browns' roster.

Shurmur's inability to use Hillis properly is quickly causing the Browns' fan base to lose hope for their team. Cleveland fans' expectations have been shot down by the Browns' slow 2-3 start. 

The Brown's dysfunction has truly hit its highest point today. They are definitely in no position to lose a star player, but their handling of this situation may be pushing Hillis away.

The Browns know Hillis has been a distraction to the rest of the team and will that push them to letting him go at a lower price?

Hopefully Cleveland fans with get some answers in the coming week. 

With that said, what are your thoughts?