Cleveland Browns: The Buffalo Bills are the perfect trade partner

It may in fact be in the Cleveland Browns’ best interest to make another deal with the Buffalo Bills.

Just a few days after the Cleveland Browns swapped QB Tyrod Taylor for the 65th overall pick, the Buffalo Bills made another big move. This time, they sent LT Cordy Glenn, swapped fifth and sixth rounders, and the 21st pick to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for the 12th pick.

Buffalo is clearly positioning themselves to make a huge trade up into the top five to select a quarterback. Now, they have the first-round pick to do it.

The Bills weren’t a great option for the Browns if they were interested in moving down from four, because Buffalo held picks 21 and 22. Moving down 17 spots in a top-heavy draft class would not have been a wise decision. But now, dropping eight spots could be attractive to general maanger John Dorsey and company.

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The Bills haven’t filled their hole at QB through free agency. Even though the Jets are reportedly signing Teddy Bridgewater, both teams will be looking to the draft to add to the position. The Jets have the sixth pick and will most likely attempt to trade up to secure their preferred signal-caller.

This could present an interesting scenario for the Browns. If they take their QB at one, and two of Saquon Barkley, Quenton Nelson, and Bradley Chubb are selected by the New York Giants and Indianapolis Colts, the fourth pick could become the target for any team in need of a QB.

Since the Jets’ pick falls just two slots after Cleveland’s, the package needed to trade would not be nearly as much as Buffalo would have to offer. Something like six, the Jets’ 2018 second rounder, and their 2019 second rounder should be enough.

However, the Browns should be more interested in trading with Buffalo again. A starting point would be 12, 22, the Bills’ 2018 second rounder, the Browns’ third rounder that Buffalo acquired in the Taylor trade, and their 2019 second rounder.

The 12th overall pick would give the Browns plenty of options. The best would be Ohio State CB Denzel Ward, an incredible athlete who would instantly give the team a CB1 for years to come. Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith would be a force in the middle; he missed only one tackle while playing the run last season.

Derwin James is a versatile defensive back, and Tremaine Edmunds has hall-of-fame potential at outside linebacker. Then, the Browns would have the 21st pick, where cornerback Josh Jackson or running back Derrius Guice could be available.

After that, adding an extra second and regaining their third-round selection would help fill out the team. All the while adding more draft capital for next year.

Next: 3 ways the recent trades impacts the Browns

If the Browns aren’t 100% sold on a specific player with the fourth overall pick, trading down with the Bills would be a smart move, both for this year and the future.

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