The Browns should go after Deebo Samuel if he’s a real option

The Cleveland Browns need a guy like Deebo Samuel.

The idea that the San Francisco 49ers would move Deebo Samuel, who was arguably their best player in 2021 and the major reason they nearly got to the Super Bowl, is absurd. Why would the 49ers trade away their best play-maker? Well, apparently Jose Sanchez of Sports Illustrated’s 49ers coverage thinks that it’s very possible Samuel could be on the move.

The reasoning isn’t a bad one, in a vacuum. The idea revolves around that Samuel is on the last year of his deal, and only has had “one elite year” and may expect to get paid big money. He also cites the recent moves of Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams as examples that a team would absolutely move on from their star receiver if the team feels its in the best interest of the team

There’s truth to that. There’s certainly a swirling of events that if they merge would set up a perfect storm that could see Samuel be dealt.

That said, there’s one big reason why it’s unlikely he gets moved; the Packers and Chiefs aren’t dependent on Adams and Hill respectively. The 49ers were a terrible offense, and a lot of that had to do with their lack of a running game or their inconsistent quarterback play. Trey Lance isn’t guaranteed to be as good as Jimmy Garoppolo, let alone better than him, so the notion that the team can just move from their incumbent Garoppolo and get an instant better place from Lance is a fallacy.

It might be possible, sure, it’s just not a guarantee. Getting rid of Samuel right now, or in the next year, especially after they haven’t improved their offense yet, would be a massive mistake for the 49ers.

If they did move on from Samuel, however, the Cleveland Browns better be interested.

The Cleveland Browns should go full bore for Deboo Samuel if he’s on the block

To be clear, I don’t believe that Samuel will be moved, at least not anytime soon. He’s too talented and the 49ers need him too much. With the ball in his hands, he can make greatness a reality. The 49ers wouldn’t have made the playoffs, let alone got to the NFC Championship game without him.

He’s the guy you go all-in on if he’s available. We’re talking Donovan Peoples-Jones, Kareem Hunt, David Njoku, Greedy Williams, and two second-round draft picks minimum.

I would say a few firsts, but the Browns got rid of those for a bad $45 million per year investment.