The Cleveland Browns made a pair of surprising trades this week, first sending veteran quarterback Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals after he was benched for rookie Dillon Gabriel ahead of Week 5, and following that up by sending cornerback Greg Newsome to the Jacksonville Jaguars for fellow corner Tyson Campbell.
It was a bit early to make a pair of moves like that since there are about three weeks left before the trade deadline, and The Athletic’s Dianna Russini says that the trades have sparked some concern around the league.
In a recent article, Russini mentioned that she has heard from her sources around the league that many believe that this is a sign that the Browns are giving up on the 2025 season.
“Some around the league believe the Browns moving on signaled that they’ve given up on the season,” Russini wrote.
If the Browns can’t end a 22-year regular-season losing streak at the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, they will drop to 1-5 and be just about out of excuses to avoid selling this season.
It’s important to continue developing the young players, so the front office won’t want to trade anyone who can negatively impact that part of the team, but there are certainly other candidates who other teams would love to pry from this roster.
Guys like David Njoku and Joel Bitonio would be right at the top of that list, and while the Browns may be sellers, the hope is that they aren’t completely giving up, because there is a lot to look forward to even if this team isn’t winning games.
NEXT: Report: 5 Browns Players Could Be Traded At Deadline
