Browns Trade Proposal Nets $51 Million TE for Mid-Round Pick
Before the trade deadline, attention has turned to the wide receiver room because the Cleveland Browns’ passing game is devoid of weapons. But what about a tight end addition?
On Thursday, October 19, Jared Mueller of SB Nation’s Dawgs By Nature drafted a trade proposal in which the Browns acquire Darren Waller of the New York Giants.
After signing a free-agent contract with the Browns, TE Jordan Akins hasn’t played as much as was anticipated, according to Mueller.
Wenn Waller concentrates, he has elite potential.
After being acquired this offseason for a third-round selection, he might be offered for a very affordable price.
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In March, the Giants made a trade for Waller. The tight end extended his contract with the Las Vegas Raiders for three years and $51 million in September 2022, keeping him under contract until 2026.
If Cleveland makes a trade for Waller’s contract, it will take on a lot of risk. He is already 31 years old, and due to previous injuries, he missed six games in 2021 and eight games in 2022.
When it comes to bringing in high-risk, high-reward talent, the Browns’ calculation differs from that of the majority of other NFL teams.
When the team decided to give QB Deshaun Watson a total of $230 million guaranteed over five years, it ensured that. Watson is currently only in the second year of that contract, but between 2024 and 2026, his salary cap number will increase to $64 million annually.
On the one hand, Watson’s contract makes it difficult financially to consistently add players with proven skill positions.
However, the QB’s contract requires the Browns to keep spending money on players who are around him in order to justify their initial investment.
In order to provide Daniel Jones with a genuine No. 1, the Giants signed Waller.
The pass game has only one option.
The team is currently 1-5 and Jones is dealing with a neck injury.
One third of the way through a disastrous second season under a new management team, New York is the epitome of a trade deadline seller.
After this season, the team can release Waller by paying him $7.9 million under an out clause in his contract.
The Giants would benefit more from moving Waller’s contract now in order to recoup the mid-round pick they gave the Raiders in order to acquire him in the first place if that option was on the table.
If playmaker Waller can stay healthy, he would be a wise addition to the Browns.
Prior to injury issues ending each of his last two seasons, the former Pro Bowler produced more than 1,100 yards in both 2019 and 2020. Waller has participated in all six games this season, recording 28 receptions for 282 yards, according to Pro Football Reference.
Waller is playing on one of the NFL’s worst offenses, so his statistics aren’t Pro Bowl caliber, and he hasn’t scored a touchdown yet.
A contusion on the rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder has kept Watson out of action for the past few weeks.
The quarterback was back on the field throwing, though, on Thursday, and he might start this Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.
Watson will require more than just Amari Cooper to serve as a respectable target when he eventually makes a comeback.
The Browns are considering trade offers for No. because Elijah Moore has underperformed since joining the team this offseason.
Donovan Peoples-Jones, the third wide receiver.
David Njoku, the team’s starting tight end, has performed only abysmally this year, according to Pro Football Focus, rating slightly above league-average at his position.
The PFF rankings for Waller are better, with the website ranking him as the 15th-best tight end out of 68 players who are eligible for the position.
Cleveland has a cap space of almost $35 million and arguably the best NFL defense.
The team just completed a season-defining win over the previously unbeaten San Francisco 49ers, and Watson is getting back to full health.
In order to compete for the AFC North and ultimately the Super Bowl, the Browns need more offensive firepower.
That person could be Waller.
