The Cleveland Browns are in full rebuild mode after their 2024 season went off the rails in Week One to the Dallas Cowboys, and now the two teams could possibly make a trade in the next few weeks.
Cleveland has nothing else to play for this season after starting the year with a 1-6 record, and one of their top playmakers could be on the move.
Cleveland Browns Part Ways With Fan Favorite In A New Trade(Report)
Mike Jones and Jeff Howe from The Athletic wrote an article titled “Six NFL trades we’d like to see: Maxx Crosby to Lions, Nick Chubb to Cowboys.
The two have running back Nick Chubb traded to the Cowboys for a 2025 third-round pick and a 2025 sixth-round pick, and this is why Jones and Howe think this deal makes sense.
The Cowboys are last in rushing yards, touchdowns and yards per attempt. Why? Because they’re 30th in attempts. They don’t have the personnel, and Mike McCarthy hasn’t shown a lot of commitment to the ground game. Being completely out of balance has led to three of their games getting out of hand early. Chubb has the star power team owner Jerry Jones covets. Although it’s a risk with Chubb just getting back from a huge knee injury, the reward could be massive if Chubb closes the season as a top-10 back. For the Browns, it would be a gut punch to give up such an impactful piece of their franchise, especially considering the way he was received upon his season debut. And they probably don’t want to take the public relations hit after the fan base turned on quarterback Deshaun Watson, but Watson’s deal is about to dramatically squeeze the books. Chubb, who turns 29 in December, is going to be a free agent after the season, and it’s going to be a stretch to keep a highly paid running back on the roster with the cap gymnastics on the horizon. Whether or not the Browns are prepared to admit it, they need to give serious consideration to drafting a QB, and the extra third-rounder could aid that endeavor.
Trading Chubb would be a crazy move for the Browns since he is one of the few players the fans love who is still on the team, and Chubb feels the same way.
The star running back played his first game last weekend since tearing up his knee in Week Two of the 2023 season, and even though he will be a free agent this offseason, the Browns seem like they want him back.
Cleveland needs to rebuild its entire roster, so getting a third-round pick back for Chubb would be solid. Still, Chubb could have another three to five good years of football left, and knowing the Browns, they would waste the draft pick anyway, so keeping Chubb and trying to sign him long-term would be the best thing for the organization.