Big NFL Draft Rumor: Trade “Blow Top Off” Involving QB – Browns Involved?
Jan 5, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton (14) throws a pass during fourth quarter of the AFC wild card playoff football game against the San Diego Chargers at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
The NFL Draft is next week, just a few days away and we are excited. Our Cleveland Browns have 10 picks, 3 in the first 35 as well as tons of cap space to make moves. Louis Riddick of ESPN just tweeted out a possible big trade possibility involving QBs:
Hearing rumblings of a potential draft day trade that could blow the top off of the draft involving the QB position.
— Louis Riddick (@LRiddickESPN) May 3, 2014
That could mean any number of things. It could mean the Dallas Cowboys moving up to get Johnny Manziel, the St. Louis Rams moving Sam Bradford, the Cincinnati Bengals moving Andy Dalton and many others. The Browns could get involved in a number of ways due to their position in the draft and their other assets. We will assume the Browns and Bengals wouldn’t make a deal giving the other their starting QB but anything is possible so we will start with what that trade could look like:
Bengals Trade Andy Dalton, #24 and #88 to the Browns for #4
The Bengals get whatever QB is available at #4, most likely all of them, to replace the flawed Andy Dalton who might just get run out of Cincy given his playoff failures. If the Bengals feel like Dalton can’t succeed in tight games, or believe he can’t succeed with the team moving him is an option, one teams often don’t take when they should. Giving up Dalton and 2 picks in the first 3 rounds may seem like a lot but moving into the Top 5 from the mid 20s is costly. The Browns would require an in division premium.
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The Browns get a QB that has been able to succeed in the NFL, though limited in big games. The Browns have seen some of Dalton’s worst games but the new regime could like his style and consistency that he has shown in the season. The Browns would surround Dalton with a similarly talented offense, with a better offensive line. The Browns would then have #24, 26 and 35 to either select the best players on their board in an amazingly deep draft or to package with other picks to move back up. The Browns could add Dalton, a corner like Kyle Fuller, a safety like Calvin Pryor and a receiver like Donte Moncrief. It would be tough to know which of those players would be available and high on the Browns list but that kind of 4 player haul in the first 2 rounds would be huge.
The Browns would then have 3 third round picks and 2 fourth round picks to upgrade the rest of their roster. The Bengals and Browns likely would not make this move but had to be talked about. Now on to more realistic moves as we go from least realistic and end with most realistic: