Most of the trade rumors surrounding the Cleveland Browns over the past few weeks have painted them as sellers ahead of the NFL’s trade deadline. Names like Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, and Jerry Jeudy have circled the rumor mills quite a bit, but at 5-2 and sitting atop the AFC North, this team isn’t positioned to sell. It’s time to buy.
The Browns have a chance to sweep the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday for the first time since 1988 and end a 22-game regular season losing streak in Pittsburgh as well. It’s a massive game with first place in the AFC North on the line as well, and for a team finding themselves in big games like this, it doesn’t hurt to have some reinforcements coming down the pipeline, perhaps in the form of a trade.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler stopped by The Really Big Show on Thursday to discuss Cleveland’s positioning heading into the deadline. He stressed that this team is certainly a potential buyer, citing edge and fullback as positions of need.
“I believe they are a potential buyer. I would look at a complementary edge rusher and or a blocker of some sort, whether it’s an H-back type similar to what Todd Monken had with Patrick Ricard in Baltimore or a second tight end who could block well for the running game. I don’t think it would be a huge move, but I think they’ll look at using a little bit of draft capital to improve the team,” Fowler said.
"I would say yes, I believe they are a potential buyer," – @JFowlerESPN on the Browns at the trade deadline 👀👀👀
FULL INTERVIEW: https://t.co/w2tu3ozZ9g pic.twitter.com/l0JcOggL5j
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) October 29, 2026
Losing Alex Wright in preseason put the Browns behind the 8-ball in the pass-rushing department, but the team has had no problem getting to the quarterback thus far even without Myles Garrett and with Jared Verse yet to record a sack. However, even though the Browns have 20 sacks through seven games, only 5.5 of those have come from rushers off the edge, as Isaiah McGuire has three and Adin Huntington has 2.5.
Head coach Todd Monken hasn’t really used a fullback or an H-back this season like he did during his days in Baltimore. There isn’t a Patrick Ricard type of player on this roster and the tight end room is catered more towards the passing game than the running game. Given how much the running game has struggled thus far, this would be an affordable and creative addition to the roster that could pay big dividends later in the season.
It’s always fun to make the big splash, but the Browns don’t need that right now. There is a lot of talent on this roster and it would be nice to see GM Andrew Berry go out and get a nice supplementary piece or two to help maximize all that talent.
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