NFL Trade Deadline: Why Cleveland Browns Should Deal RB Peyton Hillis

Cleveland Browns' running back Peyton Hillis has had a tumultuous season. He wants a contract extension, but the team doesn't want to give him one. There have been controversies surrounding games that he has missed, with him saying one thing and the team saying something else. 

With so much uncertainty around Hillis, it would make sense for the Browns to do everything they can to deal him before Tuesday's 4:00 p.m. EDT Trade Deadline. 

ESPN.com NFL analyst Chris Mortensen said early Tuesday morning that the Browns "could be persuaded" to move Hillis before the deadline, but nothing is imminent. 

Hillis' coach Pat Shurmur has said definitively that the star running back is not on the trading block, but coaches always deflect rumors and speculation until something happens. 

"I don't want to talk about trades, but no, he's not on the trading block," said Shurmur, according to Cleveland.com.

There is clearly a disconnect between Hillis and the Browns right now, which is why it makes sense to trade him. 

In addition to stalled contract talks, Hillis has been a disappointment this season, with just 211 yards and two touchdowns. This coming after a breakout 2010, when he ran for 1,177 yards and 11 touchdowns. 

Plus, Hillis is going to be a free agent at the end of the season. If the team really believed that he was the running back of the future, he would have been locked up to a long-term deal after last season. 

The Browns have a good stable of young running backs, with Montario Hardesty, Brandon Jackson and Armond Smith, so they can afford to part with someone and not worry about a production drop off. 

The only problem with trading Hillis now is that his value is so low due to the injuries and poor performance this season. The Browns will not get a mid-round draft pick for him if he does get dealt. 

That said, the Browns need all the depth they can get, and a late-round pick for a running back that does not seem happy to be there anyway is better than letting him walk away for nothing at the end of this season.