The Cleveland Browns have already lost multiple starters on defense for the season, so the franchise isn’t liable to move any before the campaign begins.
But if things get off to an ugly start, circumstances could change quickly.
That is what Moe Moton of Bleacher Report predicted on Thursday, August 28, when he authored a trade proposal flipping former first-round pick and cornerback Greg Newsome II to the Los Angeles Rams for a fifth-rounder.
“The Rams may be able to pull off a trade for Newsome, who’s entering the last year of his rookie deal,” Moton wrote. “By the trade deadline, the Browns may be strong sellers. Newsome would be an appealing asset. Though he’s coming off his worst season, the 25-year-old put together three consecutive solid campaigns as a versatile inside-outside cover defender.”
Cleveland may actually be able to do better than a fifth-round asset in return, as Newsome is a fringe CB2, which is a position of significant need around the league. Teams with viable playoff/title chances such as the Cincinnati Bengals, Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers — just to name a few — have a need for at least one more quality cornerback and could be on the hunt as the trade deadline approaches.
Browns Won’t Trade Greg Newsome Unless They’re Near Bottom of Standings by November Deadline
Were it not for recent injury issues, Newsome would be the starting slot cornerback in 2025. However, he’s moved back outside on a permanent basis due to the team’s health circumstances, and thus it makes zero sense for Browns to trade him now.
But the math changes come Weeks 8/9 of the NFL season if Cleveland struggles. The Browns square off against the Bengals at home on September 7 to open the season, after which they play five consecutive games against teams that were part of the 2024-25 postseason.
It isn’t unreasonable to predict a 2-6 or 1-7 start for the Browns before their Week 9 bye, during which the trade deadline falls (November 4). Cleveland doesn’t want to be bad, but the current roster, its injury concerns and the opening schedule strength dictates the team probably will be near the bottom of the AFC standings at the halfway point of the campaign.
In that case, it might make sense to trade off quality players like Newsome. He probably won’t be back after this season due to his likely financial asks/the free-agent market that will exist for him combined with Cleveland’s salary cap issues, which are significant and will be long-standing into the future.
A strategy of pick stacking and tanking midway through the year may be what’s best for the Browns if things go off the rails in 2025.
Browns’ Roster Holes Will Make Competitiveness to Achieve in 2025
Unfortunately for Browns fans, an ugly start is likely for more reasons than just the schedule.
Joe Flacco has returned and will be the starting quarterback Week 1. And though he represents a call back to the last time Cleveland was playoff-relevant, which wasn’t actually all that long ago, things have changed drastically since the end of 2023.
The Browns’ group of pass-catchers is ostensibly less talented and far less experienced/proven. There are major durability and performance concerns at both offensive tackle spots. The running backs room is dealing with uncertainty around second-round pick Quinshon Judkins, and Flacco is now 40 years old.
Pro-Bowl linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is out for the year with a neck injury he suffered last season, which is also threatening his career. Meanwhile, starting outside cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. will miss the campaign with an Achilles tear, which necessitated Newsome’s move back outside.
Despite extending recent Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett on a longterm contract, Cleveland’s defensive line is weaker than it was two years ago — both at the tackle positions and the defensive end slot opposite Garrett, with No. 5 overall pick Mason Graham the potential X-factor as a starting DT.
The Browns own 10 draft picks in 2026 as of Thursday, including two first-rounders. The team needs to rebuild inexpensively through the draft due to its many salary cap gaffes, namely the Deshaun Watson contract that still has two years remaining.
As such, Newsome could definitely end up on the block before 2025 is out, but it is not going to happen for at least a couple of months, give or take.
