Browns Trade Pitch Nets 1,000-Yard Rusher from AFC Rival

Before the trade deadline, the Cleveland Browns are searching for seasoned offensive linemen, and they should also be looking for a running back who can make a difference.

Rhamondre Stevenson of the New England Patriots is a strong candidate for the trade block, according to Benjamin Solak of The Ringer, who was a guest on The Bill Simmons Podcast on Wednesday, October 11.

Prior to the season, I was a huge Rhamondre fan.
Despite his underperformance, he may still be their best offensive weapon.

If I were a general manager at the trade deadline, Rhamondre would be at the top of my list of players I’d be calling about right now.
I’m simply going to call the Patriots and say, “Hey, if you guys don’t like him for whatever reason and it’s like an attitude thing or there’s a vibes are off thing, I’m very interested in Austin Ekeler, but make him bigger.
I’m interested in [that].
I want to get my hands on that.

So Rhamondre, I’ll be interested to see if we get trade deadline rumors over the upcoming few weeks.

Since running back Nick Chubb sustained a season-ending knee injury in Week 2, the Browns have had a great deal of difficulty moving the ball on the ground and should be among the teams starting a fire if there is any smoke.

Only 145 of Cleveland’s total 171 rushing yards (85.55 points per game) have come from its three running backs, Jerome Ford, Kareem Hunt, and Pierre Strong Jr.

Rhamondre Stevenson, the Patriots’ running back, has regressed this year.

Prior to the NFL’s October 31 trade deadline, Rhamondre Stevenson of the New England Patriots is a leading trade candidate.

After being selected by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft (No. 4) out of Oklahoma, Stevenson unquestionably regressed in 2023, his third season as a professional. 120 total).

Simmons stated, “I have no explanation for Rhamondre.
He was fantastic last year, but he has been awful this year.
“.

According to Pro Football Reference, Stevenson amassed 1,040 rushing yards (5 points per carry) and 5 touchdowns last season.
He also caught 69 passes for 421 yards and a score.
Through five starts in 2023, the running back has only amassed 188 yards (2.08 yards per attempt).

Solak suggested that a significant portion of the issue is everything that surrounds Stevenson, and by everything, he meant the entire collection of nothing the coaching staff has put together on offense over the past couple of years.

Solak exclaimed, “It’s so, so, so awful.
“A Patriots comeback this season would be nothing short of astonishing to me.
“.

Simmons and Solak went on to say that the shockingly bad season New England had could give owner Robert Kraft the chance to start over, fire head coach Bill Belichick and the rest of his coaching staff, as well as quarterback Mac Jones, and usher in a new era of Patriots football in 2022.

If that turns out to be the case, it makes even more sense to have a fire sale before the impending trade deadline.

Rhamondre Stevenson is a good fit for the Cleveland Browns.

There are many reasons why Stevenson is a good fit for the Browns.

First and foremost, compared to any running back on Cleveland’s roster, the 25-year-old is a vastly superior talent.

Second, he is currently in the third year of a rookie contract that is only worth $4.02 million over four years. That implies that the Browns would be in charge of his contract through the upcoming campaign, setting it up to expire concurrently with Chubb’s.

Despite the relative cap hell that will come with Deshaun Watson’s increase to a yearly hit of $64 million between 2024 and 2026, Stevenson’s salary cap number is less than $1.25 million in 2024 and will be simple for Cleveland to hold onto.
After the 2019 season, the Browns will be able to choose between paying Chubb a high salary heading into his age-29 season or paying Stevenson less and using him as their primary running back for the remaining Watson window.

Finally, Cleveland’s offensive identity has long been centered on its running game.
Over the last four years, the team has had some success by combining Chubb and Hunt in the backfield to attack rival defenses with a two-pronged attack.
The same opportunity exists for Stevenson in 2024, when the Browns will be competing for a Super Bowl, and perhaps beyond if the team decides to try and sign both Chubb and Stevenson to multiyear contracts.