Trade deadline targets usually fall into 2 categories: short-term rentals and long-term building blocks. Rentals can help a contender for a few months, but players under contract for multiple seasons can reshape a roster for years. The latter are much harder to find in October. One of them may be available, and the Browns have been named as a logical fit.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report added Philadelphia Eagles guard Landon Dickerson to his trade block big board entering Week 6 and listed the Browns among his potential suitors.
“Starting Eagles guard Landon Dickerson is certainly a surprise new addition to our board. However, Philly’s decision to trade Jurgens also came as a surprise. He’s one of the league’s top interior linemen when healthy, and the Eagles certainly won’t part with him for proverbial pennies. However, if the buzz indicates that Dickerson could be available, guard-needy teams should be placing calls. The three-time Pro Bowler just turned 28 years old, and he’s under contract through 2028,” Knox wrote.
Knox projected Dickerson’s trade value at a conditional 2027 2nd-round pick, a significant price that reflects his standing among the best interior linemen in football.
The fit is easy to see. The Browns allowed 8 sacks in their loss to the New York Jets, and Deshaun Watson has been pressured on 79 dropbacks this season, the 5th-most in the league. Injuries have only added to the strain, with Tytus Howard and Teven Jenkins both missing practice on Wednesday and Elgton Jenkins limited with a knee injury.
Dickerson’s versatility would be a major asset. He has made his name at guard in Philadelphia, but he also played center at Alabama, where he won the Rimington Trophy as the nation’s top center in 2020. That flexibility would give the Browns options across the interior.
Pairing him with Zion Johnson would also give Cleveland one of the better guard tandems in the league. Johnson has not allowed a sack this season and ranks among the top pass-blocking guards, according to Pro Football Focus.
The long-term value is what separates Dickerson from a typical deadline addition. He just turned 28 and is under contract through 2028, so he would fit alongside rookies Spencer Fano and Austin Barber as part of the line’s core for years to come.
There are questions, though. Dickerson has been on injured reserve since trying to play through a knee injury in Week 1, and any team acquiring him would need to be comfortable with his recovery. The price is steep, and the Eagles are unlikely to move him cheaply.
The Browns have the resources to make it work. Extra draft capital from the Myles Garrett trade gives Andrew Berry flexibility.
There is a division angle as well. The Eagles already sent Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens to the Baltimore Ravens, and adding Dickerson would help the Browns keep pace in an AFC North arms race.
Whether Philadelphia is truly willing to deal him remains to be seen, and the San Francisco 49ers were also named as a suitor. But for a team whose offensive line has been its biggest weakness, few players on the market could make a bigger difference than a 3-time Pro Bowler in the prime of his career.
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