Falcons and Browns could line up as dance partners ahead of trade deadline

The Falcons dismal 34-14 thrashing at home to the Seahawks highlighted a lot of the flaws that needed to be talked about despite Atlanta coming into the game on a three-game winning streak. The defense is very bad, proving incapable of stopping the run or the pass. Geno Smith had a field day on Sunday, going 18-for-28 for 207 yards and two touchdowns without a turnover. It could have been worse too, but the Seahawks didn’t have to rely on their passing attack past the third quarter because the game was out of hand.

The Falcons have a lot of issues defensively. There are questions about the scheme new defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake and head Raheem Morris have implemented, but they could also use more help across the defensive front. The pass rush, for the most part, has been anemic, even if they did do a better job on Sunday against a battered Seahawks offensive line. Terry Fontenot has to add ahead of the trade deadline, and the Browns are beginning to line up as an ideal trade partner.

After starting 1-6 and with Deshaun Watson now out for the season, Cleveland must look towards the future. They aren’t in a position to ignore anybody’s calls, even on the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Myles Garrett.

“Speaking of trades, the Browns will get phone calls now, based on their 1–6 record and the fact that they just offloaded Cooper,” NFL insider Albert Breer writes for Sports Illustrated. “I don’t think they’ll move Myles Garrett (but some fishing has taken place; anyone can call), Denzel Ward or Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. But guys such as Za’Darius Smith or Jack Conklin would have value to others and could be more realistic targets.”

The Browns are stuck between a rock and a hard place because of Deshaun Watson’s contract, which is fully guaranteed. His cap hit for 2025 is just under $73 million, and it’s the same for 2026. The contract also includes a void year for 2027, which will count for nearly $27 million against the cap.

Simply put, the Browns are screwed. Nobody is going to trade for Deshaun Watson for a plethora of reasons, and Cleveland doesn’t get any relief by releasing him. Their best course of action is to hope Watson returns healthy and can start playing like he did back in Houston, which almost sounds more far-fetched than the Browns convincing another team to take on his contract. Cleveland is staring down the barrel of a lengthy rebuild, one that could take a half-decade to make right, so eventually, it’s fair to expect Myles Garrett to find a new home. I’m just not sure that’s going to happen so soon.

But as Breer notes, Myles Garrett isn’t the only piece the Browns will be receiving calls on. A guy like Za’Darius Smith could also really help the Falcons’ pass rush, who is a much more realistic contract and will probably be traded in the coming weeks.

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Photographer: Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire