The Cleveland Browns most valuable trade asset is …
· Yahoo Sports
The Cleveland Browns are currently navigating their latest rebuild following a rough couple of seasons that resulted in just eight wins.
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There are plenty of reasons for those disappointing numbers, and plenty of blame to go around, so no need to do a deep rehash at the moment. Suffice it to say, the Browns need to get their act together this fall under first-time head coach Todd Monken.
One tried-and-true way for a team to improve its fortunes is through the annual NFL Draft, where this year, general manager Andrew Berry holds two first-round selections and four of the first 70 overall.
Another option, if you are a franchise that is truly struggling, is to trade away an established player or two to acquire even more draft picks. If two first-round picks are good, then more first-round picks are even better! (And if you are lucky, you’ll find a sucker at the table willing to give up three first-round draft picks for a quarterback that hasn’t played for a year and is facing major off-field issues.)
Not everyone can expect that to happen, of course, and while every team has tradeable assets, not all are created equally, and things like salary-cap issues and no-trade clauses can complicate things.
Pro Football Focus’ John Kosko took on the task of finding what the site considers the most valuable trade asset for every team. And the choice for the Browns was a little bit unexpected.
We have reached the stage where people are starting to clamor for the Browns to trade defensive end Myles Garrett, in part because he would bring back a nice bounty of draft picks, but also because “he deserves to play for a winner.” After living through several years of that being applied to Joe Thomas at the annual trade deadline, we are still not sure what that means, but Garrett is on a Hall-of-Fame trajectory, so apparently, when you reach that status, outsiders believe you deserve things.
But, thankfully, Garrett did not make the cut on Kosko’s list. Instead, Kosko landed on the No. 6 overall selection in the 2026 NFL Draft as Berry’s best trade chip:
If not for back-to-back wins to close the season, the Browns would be in a position to draft quarterback Fernando Mendoza or leverage that pick for a significant haul. Instead, Cleveland sits at No. 6 overall with clear needs at wide receiver and along the offensive line.
While the Browns could stay put and take the best player available, their offense lacks proven talent. Trading down may be the more effective route, allowing them to accumulate additional draft capital while still adding impact contributors.
Holding both a high first-round pick and a late first-round selection gives Cleveland the flexibility to reshape its roster heading into the draft.
It’s not the worst idea, and it is also one that many are starting to predict that Berry will actually do on draft night for the reasons that Kosko stated.
So what do you think, Browns fans? Who, or what, is Cleveland’s most valuable trade asset? And just as importantly, what would you want in return? Let us know in the comments!