In March, the Browns proposed moving the trade deadline to the Tuesday after Week 9. And by the Tuesday after Week 9, the Browns could end up selling.

As previously reported, a trade for passer Za’Darius Smith is expected – with the Lions as the leading candidate. Other veterans could also be in play.

One name to watch is tight end David Njoku. Trading him would trigger a $20.87 million cap charge; keeping him would result in a cash commitment of $14.25 million and a cap hit of $22.185 million.

The key becomes getting draft picks. They’ll need it, given the damage Deshaun Watson’s contract will do to the salary cap in the coming years, especially if they release him in 2025.

Regardless, this is a massive financial commitment. He is still owed $92 million. His cap hit next year is over $72 million. This makes it important for the Browns to stockpile draft picks because it gives them low-cost talent to offset the massive capital drain resulting from the disastrous Watson deal.