The Cleveland Browns are sitting at 2-6 with their season slowly slipping away from them. What was supposed to be a bounce back year for the team has turned into another struggling disaster and with the trade deadline 24 hours away, several names are on the market. The Browns are not shy from making mid-season trade deals and this season could be no different for the franchise.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, the Browns are open to trading both Alex Mack and Joe Thomas at the trade deadline along with Paul Kruger. At 2-6, the Browns are showing very little ability to climb back into contention with their current roster and selling high on veterans might be their best move in order to have success down the road.
The trade talk around Mack is slightly surprising considering the Browns fought to keep him in free agency and gave him a no-trade clause in his deal. He can opt out of his contract at the end of this season and the Browns might fear losing him for nothing in return. With Cam Erving sitting behind him, Mack is expendable to the team. Thomas is another surprising trade addition considering he is signed through 2018. The left tackle was not happy to hear that his name is being tossed around in trade talk.
"The reality of it is we're right now a 2-6 team and the trade deadline is coming up,'' Thomas said, via the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "If you're a team that doesn't have a winning record I imagine it happens all the time where teams will call up your team and find out if you're available for a trade. It's happened in the past with me in my career. But it's out of my control. I want to be here. I want to finish my career here. I want to be part of the turnaround here. That's the way it is sometimes, you've got to control the things you can control.''
Kruger echoed the words of his teammates. The linebacker admitted he is not shocked his name is being tossed around in trade talk after signing a five-year, $40.5 million contract in 2013. The veteran admitted that when a team is not playing well, this is the kind of things that get discussed at the midway point of the year. The Browns could also try and trade someone like Johnny Manziel or even Isaiah Crowell. Manziel might not be in the future plans for Cleveland while the Browns have Duke Johnson and Robert Turbin working in the run game. A deal for Dwayne Bowe could also be something to explore despite his lack of production this year. The Browns must take a look in the mirror and decide if it is time to dismantle and rebuild orh old strong for improvement.
