The Cleveland Browns could end up one of the most prolific sellers of talent ahead of the NFL trade deadline if they keep up their losing ways.
Cleveland dropped its first two games to start the season and in Week 3 it hosts the undefeated Green Bay Packers, who have already bested two NFC playoff teams from last season — the Detroit Lions and the Washington Commanders — and will play this weekend on 10 days rest.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano predicted on Friday that the Browns might look to deal starting talent on both sides of the ball, particularly players who aren’t under contract in 2026 and may not be coming back to Cleveland next offseason.
However, Graziano also noted both rookie quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel will continue to be brought up in trade discussions until the deadline passes a little more than six weeks from now.
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“Starting the season 0-2 and seemingly already positioning themselves to be a big factor in next year’s draft (two first-round picks), the Browns could very easily be dealing away players by early November,” Graziano wrote.
“Cornerback Greg Newsome II and tight end David Njoku are among the veterans in the final years of their contracts who could be of interest to teams looking for help at the deadline. And a quarterbacks room that has 40-year-old veteran Joe Flacco and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders is going to keep being talked about in these types of discussions.”
The Browns have incentive to continue starting Flacco, even if the team keeps losing, until the schedule eases off.
That probably isn’t going to happen until Week 6 at the earliest, when Cleveland travels to Pittsburgh for a road matchup with the division-rival Steelers, who have fielded a surprisingly weak defense through two games (32.5 points allowed per contest).
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Cleveland plays at Ford Field against the Detroit Lions in Week 4 and takes on the Minnesota Vikings in London after that. And while the Vikings’ offense is struggling through two games, its defense remains among the most talented and most challenging schematically of any in the league.
Thus, the Browns probably don’t feel comfortable transitioning away from Flacco before October 12 in Pittsburgh. The following week against the Miami Dolphins could be a cushy matchup to start either rookie QB for the first time.
Gabriel has been Cleveland’s QB2 since before the year began and has taken the only snaps Flacco hasn’t taken through two games, which came in garbage time in a blowout loss to the Baltimore Ravens last Sunday.
Given the Browns’ timeline for wanting a first look at one of their rookie signal-callers in the context of the trade deadline, combined with the fact that Gabriel is the backup, Sanders seems to be the most likely trade chip by default — even if it is unlikely Cleveland actually deals the fifth-round pick before giving him a thorough regular-season tryout in his first NFL season.
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