NFL Trade Rumors are swirling as we inch closer to the Oct. 29 deadline. AJ Green and Emmanuel Sanders are the two big-name receivers most likely to be dealt, but one of football’s biggest names altogether could be shipped out in exchange for a Godfather offer.
If the Browns drop their next two games (vs. Seahawks, at Patriots) and fall to 2-5 on the season, general manger Jon Dorsey will start to look at selling off parts – big and small. As Dan Sileo and Colin Cowherd both referenced this week, wide receiver Odell Beckham would be the trade chip that would most help Cleveland solve one of their many issues (offensive line, rush defense) as Cleveland would get great return in the form of players and picks.
Sileo mentioned the Patriots and Eagles as the two teams most likely to aggressively push Dorsey for a deal, and that falls in line with what most national media members are saying as Bill Belichick and Howie Roseman are seemingly in an arms race for elite talent in the next two weeks.
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The Patriots have long coveted Beckham, as Tom Brady and OBJ have consistently played social media footsies over the years, and Belichick reportedly made a serious offer to the Giants for the receiver two seasons ago.
The issue for the Patriots, though, is salary cap space. They still haven’t resolved the Antonio Brown situation, and despite clearing $2 million in space this week with the release of tight end Ben Watson they still would need to do some major cap gymnastics in attempted to fit Beckham on their roster.
The Eagles, meanwhile, have much more cap space available as Roseman has done a terrific job keeping his options open. Philadelphia obviously wasn’t trading for Beckham when he was a member of the Giants as New York wanted to keep OBJ as far away from the NFC East as possible. But now that he’s in Cleveland, the Eagles are free to pursue.
The Eagles have larger areas of need (secondary, first and foremost) than wide receiver, so it’s much more likely that Philly targets another position – though you never know with Roseman, who is going all-in on 2019.
Finally, we look at the Cowboys’ chances of landing Beckham.
Just a year ago Dallas swung a deal for wide receiver Amari Cooper and it changed the course of their season. Trading for Beckham this year would have a similar effect.
The Cowboys could surely use him right about now as their offense has fell flat in the past two weeks, putting up just 10 points against the Saints and only 24 points against the Packers.
The Cowboys have $24.6 million in cap room right now, giving them one of the better short-term situations in the league. They could easily fit Beckham on their roster if Beckham was indeed put on the market.
Truth be told, most of this is wishful thinking as the first fall guy in Cleveland if things continue to go South will be head coach Freddie Kitchens. It should also be noted that the two media members pushing the “trade Beckham” talks this week were sports radio hosts looking for a juicy topic to discuss.
The odds of the Browns trading Beckham in the next two weeks are quite slim. Call it a 4 percent chance.
