Browns Trade Pitch Reunites Deshaun Watson With Proven $40 Million Deep Threat
Browns Trade Pitch Reunites Deshaun Watson With Proven $40 Million Deep Threat
With a trade with the Dallas Cowboys, the Cleveland Browns acquired their final elite wide receiver, and general manager Andrew
Berry may have made it two for two in his interactions with flamboyant owner Jerry Jones.
Recently, Deshaun Watson used the radio to court Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, a pending free agency who plays for
the AFC North Division rival team. A trade that would help the Cowboys clear some cash off their books sounds more realistic, even
though that plan has little chance of success and might depend on the quarterback agreeing to a pay cut.
On Monday, January 29, the NFL Scouting Department of Bleacher Report released an offseason trade advisory for both Cleveland
and Dallas. In it, they mentioned wide receiver Brandin Cooks as possibly the Cowboys’ best trade asset and one of the Browns’ best
trade targets. In addition, that trade would bring Watson and Cooks back together. They had a very successful season together in 2020
when playing together for the Houston Texans.
Dallas could actually save $8 million in 2024 by trading Cooks after June 1, adding another $2 million in savings in 2025 by waiting until summer to make the move.
Cleveland doesn’t need to hurry, as the franchise could easily wait for history to repeat itself.
“The Dallas Cowboys need to generate cap space and could look to do so by dealing one of their secondary wide receivers,” BR wrote
Monday. “The Cowboys dealt Amari Cooper just two years ago to make room in the No. 1
role for CeeDee Lamb, and now, Lamb is extension-eligible.”
The Browns were the ones that gained from Jones’ choice to trade Cooper. Berry acquired the team’s top wide receiver in 2022 for just
one fifth-round selection and the trade of a sixth-round pick.
Since then, Cooper has led the Browns in receiving for two seasons in a row. According to Pro Football Reference, he was selected for
the fifth time in his career for the Pro Bowl in 2023 after hauling in 72 passes for 1,250 yards and five touchdowns.
Paradoxically, BR also identified Cooper as one of the top trade targets for the Browns in the offseason of 2024. The wideout’s sole real
source of expendability is the money he owes on his $100 million contract,
which has a salary cap hit of little under $24 million the next season.
But Cooper has been incredibly useful to the Browns. Dealing with him is therefore an unlikely result. However, it makes some sense
to extend the 29-year-old receiver because it will enable Cleveland to defer part of his cost to the future and retain its best wide
receiver for the remainder of the team’s playoff window.
Get more related news on https://dailysportnews.co.uk/
Leave a Reply