The NFL trade deadline fast approaches. The Cleveland Browns have been linked to being huge sellers and ditching not only good athletes but players with large contracts. The deadline is November 5th at 4:00 PM Eastern.

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The most prominent name rumored with the Browns is DE Za’Darius Smith, age 32. He is currently on a two-year extension that has a cap hit this year at $5.235 million this season and $9.433 million in 2025.

That is peanuts for a stud pass-rushing EDGE rusher.

Despite starting every game this year, he is rumored to be on the trade block within a week. It will be interesting how the outcome of Week 9 impacts Cleveland’s plans.

ZDS came to the Browns known for his ability to sack quarterbacks. He had 13.5 sacks in 2019, 12.5 in 2020, 10.0 for the 2022 season, and 8.5 in 2018. With Cleveland last year, he netted 5.5 sacks. Not exactly what the defense was looking for with his reputation.

Still, DC Jim Schwartz loves this guy and wanted him back – thus the extension.

His stats this year include 22 total tackles, one missed tackle, nine pressures, five sacks, one knockdown, three hurries, six QB hits, and five tackles for loss. Nothing to write Grandma about, but consistent numbers. He is decent against the run and last year his stats increased as the games on the calendar fell off.

In order to move ZDS, the Browns must have a replacement. That man is Ogbo Okoronkwo. He is just 29 years old with good speed coming off the edge. Cleveland believes a combination of Ogbo and the youngster Isaiah McGuire can replace the aging ZDS and get the same numbers for a lot less coin.

Ogbo signed a three-year deal worth $19 million with an average salary of $6.33 million per season while McGuire is still on his rookie deal on a four-year contract for $4.55 million and a base salary of $915,000.

Several NFL clubs have inquired about the services of both DE Myles Garrett and ZDS. The Atlanta Falcons appear to be the most aggressive, but the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders have a lot of interest. All three teams have issues getting to the quarterback and each one has emphasized that ZDS still has excellent skills in this department.

The Browns rumored to be “sellers” came about when GM Andrew Berry shipped off their top receiver Amari Cooper and his five Pro Bowls to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for third and seventh-round draft picks. A sixth-round pick went back with Cooper as well. At the time, Cleveland was floundering mightily with a 1-5-0 record.

After the Browns hit the 1-6-0 mark, more conversations were being had about the franchise ditching a lot of their starters for draft capital in what would be assumed to be a total rebuild.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN has stated that Cleveland is asking for “a decent Day 3 pick” if they are going to trade away ZDS.

Which seems awfully low. Why would the Browns give ZDS away like that? For a fourth or fifth-round pick?

The only silver lining would be the extension ZDS signed because he is under contract through 2025. This makes the draft pick compensation Cleveland could get for him have a high possibility that the fourth-round selection could go up depending on his production.

However, all of this may be moot.

The Browns roasted division leader Baltimore Ravens 29-24 last weekend with a new quarterback and a new playcaller. Add the fact that all-world running back Nick Chubb is now healthy, the receivers are being used, plus the starting offensive line played its very first game together (insert Dawand Jones for Jed Wills), there is now hope that the season is not lost.

Sitting at 2-6-0, believe it or not, the Browns are just two games out of a playoff seed. No, really.

Maybe, just maybe, the team is not in sell-off mode and likes their roster just the way it is. After all, the defensive side of the ball is almost the exact same as last year when it was ranked #1 in the league.

Both the punter and kicker are elite status. It was a lack of offense that was killing this season. And even then, they lost by six to the New York Football Giants, four to the Las Vegas Raiders and Philadelphia Eagles, and seven to the Cincinnati Bengals. A play here or there could have changed the outcome of any of these games. Instead of 2-6-0, this team may have been 6-2-0.

And what happens if the Browns defeat the Los Angeles Chargers this weekend? A two-game win streak? Closer numbers for a playoff seed?

Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images

Will shipping off their starters improve the roster this year? Trading players for draft picks has the ability to improve next year’s roster but not this season.

Unless the Browns want to make a trade and bring in a guy or two now, then that should work. For this year.

But if Cleveland begins to gel simply because the old quarterback was the problem or the old playcaller wasn’t doing enough, why break this team apart?

Before the season began, it was perceived that the Browns had a really good ballclub. If the two main problem areas are eliminated, what if that is still true?

If all these NFL teams are calling about Smith, then that must mean he is a good player. Don’t the Browns need good players? This year and next?

Do you think the Browns should trade Za’Darius Smith as rumored? What do you think the appropriate trade compensation should be? Share your thoughts in the comment section below