CLEVELAND — Could the Cleveland Browns trade for Washington Redskins Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams? And if so, what would it cost?
That's the question many Browns fans find themselves asking with the team laying claim to a disappointing 2-4 record and just a bye week away from facing the New England Patriots on Oct. 27.
While Cleveland general manager John Dorsey admitted he's recently talked to Washington president Bruce Allen, presumably regarding Williams, no such deal has since come to fruition. Nevertheless, that hasn't stopped many from speculating about Cleveland's attempt to acquire Williams, who hasn't reported to Washington since the end of the 2018 season in hopes of being either traded or signed to a new contract.
So what would it cost the Browns to acquire Williams in an effort to upgrade an offensive line that's been more than shaky through the first six weeks of the 2019 season? That remains unclear. But recent reports and past precedents can be used to paint a picture of what a potential deal between Cleveland and Washington might look like.
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First-round pick, plus
While there haven't been as many rumors regarding a potential Williams deal as there were with Jalen Ramsey, an August report by NBC Sports Washington stated that the Redskins actually turned down an offer from the New England Patriots that included a first-round pick.
In theory, that would mean that trading a first-round selection to Washington would be the starting point of any deal for the Browns, while it remains unclear what else the Redskins would want.
For Cleveland, trading a first-rounder alone may simply not be an option, considering that the Browns traded their 2019 first-round pick to the New York Giants in the Beckham trade. With the exception of the Los Angeles Rams, teams don't typically trade consecutive first-round picks for already established players due to the value that the NFL's rookie wage scale provides.
Trading a first-round pick and then some for Williams would be similar to the deal the Philadelphia Eagles made to acquire Jason Peters from the Buffalo Bills in 2009. In exchange for Peters -- who at the time was a 27-year-old 2-time Pro Bowl selection -- Philadelphia sent Buffalo a first-round pick, fourth-round pick and future conditional sixth-round pick.
Williams, for what it's worth, is currently 31 and has been selected to the Pro Bowl seven times. It's also worth noting that in 2015, the Browns reportedly turned down a trade offer from the Denver Broncos for a 31-year-old Joe Thomas that centered around a first-round selection.
Second-round plus
While the Redskins' initial asking price may have started with a first-round pick in August, that doesn't mean it may not have changed in the time since for a number of reasons including:
- Williams' not reporting in time for the start of the season -- or since -- as Washington may have hoped.
- The Redskins' 1-5 start having already sunk their playoff hopes.
- The reality that any team acquiring Williams will now be getting him for 10 games or less this season.
Still, given Williams' stature and that offensive tackle is arguably the biggest hole on the Browns roster and it's hard to imagine Cleveland making a deal for the 2-time second-team All-Pro selection without surrendering at least a second-round pick.
That, too, would also happen to fall in line with the compensation received for the most comparable player to Williams who's recently been traded: Duane Brown.
Just before the NFL Trade Deadline in 2017, the Seattle Seahawks acquired Brown from the Houston Texans for a package that included a 2018 fifth-round pick, 2019 second-round pick and cornerback Jeremy Lane. Like Williams, Brown had been engaged in a lengthy holdout prior to be traded.
The similarities don't stop there as Williams' Pro Football Reference page links him and Brown as players who have enjoyed eerily similar careers. And considering that at 32, Brown was only one year older than Williams is now when he was traded, it'd be tough to find a more appropriate precedent for a potential deal.
As a result, unless Cleveland is willing to overpay with a first-round pick, it seems reasonable for it to send Washington a second-round selection, a mid-round pick and perhaps a starting quality (but not core) player in exchange for Williams.
That is, of course, assuming Allen is even willing to trade him.
"It takes two to tango," Dorsey said.