The Cleveland Browns could go with Trent Williams at tackle and trade down

The Cleveland Browns have two interesting stories come out today that may or may not be related, that involve Trent Williams and draft prospects.

The NFL Draft is days away and when the Cleveland Browns get on the clock to make their selection, not only might it not be a tackle, it might not be at no.10. That’s because the team may just make that deal for Trent Williams after all. The Browns General Manager Andrew Berry spoke with the media on Monday morning, via Zoom, and talked about a laundry list of topics. One of them pertained to Mekhi Becton’s positive drug test at the combine.

Becton’s positive test isn’t be viewed as a minor thing, at least if the verbiage Berry used can be taken at face value. When asked if Becton’s test would affect The Browns’ desire to take him, Berry said, “Suffice it to say, we’ll take all information into consideration when making a player decision.”

He went on further to talk about using the Draft as a possible time to acquire veterans.

“In terms of likeliness, we will probably never know until we are closer to the draft, but we will explore any avenue that can improve the roster. I know I have said that a couple times and some of you are probably tired of me saying that, but it truly is the approach. Anything that we think can help improve the team, we are going to be actively exploring it and will certainly listen but I can’t say anything is imminent.”

That is the catalyst for our pivot. Insert Josina Anderson of ESPN. Now Anderson isn’t the most reputable name in all of sports news and entertainment. She has bad hot takes and often times try to create a narrative before there’s any proof to support or disprove it. She’s questionable at her job. Very questionable. Yet, she’s a name on a major network and deserves some (the smallest amount) credibility.

She’s claiming the Browns are still interested in acquiring Williams, the Redskins offensive tackle. “I was told per a source that acquiring Trent Williams via trade is still on the table for the Browns, which is significant because interest can ebb and flow,” Anderson said on NFL Live. “…When it comes to a timetable, I was told that nothing is imminent in terms of being finalized today but the Browns are definitely keeping Williams’ on their radar. It could happen, leading into the draft, during the draft or after or maybe not.”

There is no clear choice at No.10 if the Browns want a tackle. It’s entirely possible the team is left with one or two choices depending on the how the Top 10 shakes out, but it’s also entirely possible the Browns aren’t that in love with any of the four names, and would rather roll the dice on a proven veteran who can come in and do the job right off the bat.

Part of the issue is that Becton has been touted by many as the top guy at the position. If his stock is this shaken, then you better believe an overly cautious team like the Browns may be even more concerned about spending a top pick on a class of tackles that, despite being highly touted, all have glaring holes in their games.

Obviously, Berry wouldn’t trade a first or even a high second-round draft pick for Williams, so this would be a situation of the Browns getting Williams, a top-10 caliber player, and/or, getting multiple first-round picks.

It’s impossible to know for sure, and this is nothing more than one person reading the tea leaves, but it’s very possible the team moves from No. 10, picks a non-tackle and then trades for Williams.

It’s also possible that the Browns accidentally take a kicker at No.10 and the re-draft Ryan Leaf in the second round. Who really knows anything?