ESPN senior NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler believes the Cleveland Browns are positioned to add players before the NFL trade deadline rather than sell off pieces.
“I would say yes, I believe they are a potential buyer,” Fowler said Thursday on ESPN Cleveland’s The Really Big Show when asked about the team’s approach with the Nov. 10 cutoff approaching.
The Browns enter the final stretch of October at 5-2 and tied for first place in the AFC North. They have won two straight games, including a 27-24 victory at the Tennessee Titans on Sunday that featured a late score to secure the result.
Cleveland’s record has shifted the conversation around the front office led by general manager Andrew Berry. Instead of fielding calls about outgoing players, the club is viewed as one that could look to strengthen its roster for a playoff push.
Fowler has described the Browns as a low-key team to watch at the deadline. He noted that the organization likes to make deals and that defensive line help should be available on the market.
The defensive front has drawn particular attention after the offseason trade that sent Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for edge rusher Jared Verse and three draft picks. Verse has contributed, but depth and additional production remain points of discussion.
Through seven games, the Browns have recorded 25 sacks. Their run defense has allowed 815 yards at 4.4 yards per carry, a mark that ranks 21st in the league, according to NFL.com figures.
A secondary area of interest involves a versatile blocker who can line up at tight end or H-back. Fowler has pointed to the type of role Patrick Ricard filled under Todd Monken when Monken served as offensive coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens.
David Njoku departed for the Los Angeles Chargers in free agency, and Harold Fannin Jr. has primarily been used as a receiving option. The unit has produced mixed results in the run game.
Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com has offered a similar assessment of the Browns’ posture.
“Yes, I do think they will be buyers as they approach the trade deadline,” Cabot said on the Orange and Brown Talk podcast. “I think they are more apt to be buyers than sellers.”
Names linked to Cleveland in recent reporting include edge rushers such as Khalil Mack of the Chargers, Jermaine Johnson II of the Titans and YaYa Diaby of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Those connections stem from lists compiled by Fowler and others tracking potential deadline movement.
The Browns hold roughly $13.7 million in available salary-cap space, according to Spotrac. That figure provides some flexibility for a midseason addition, though any deal would still need to fit Berry’s value-based approach.
Cleveland is not actively shopping wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, Fowler has reported, even as the veteran has drawn interest from other clubs. The team sits atop its division and values his experience alongside emerging young receivers.
The trade deadline arrives at 4 p.m. ET on Nov. 10. Before then, the Browns travel to face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday and the New Orleans Saints on Nov. 8.
Those games will help determine whether the current 5-2 mark holds and whether any additions feel necessary for the stretch run. Berry has historically waited for the right opportunity rather than forcing a move.
Other clubs have already completed deals this season, including high-profile swaps involving players such as Jeffery Simmons and Quenton Nelson. The Browns have remained on the sidelines so far, but Fowler’s assessment suggests that could change.
