NFL trades: 3 roster positions the Browns should be looking to upgrade

Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry watches drills during the first day of rookie minicamp May 8, 2026, at Cross Country Mortgage Campus in Berea, Ohio. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co While NFL free agency is ongoing until the end of the Super Bowl, the Cleveland Browns and the rest of

Football Zone

SEE ALL

Trendline

Chicago Bears Unveil New Alternate Uniform Featuring Orange Pants for Christmas Day Game

Trendline

Vince Young Challenges 'Bust' Narrative, Citing NFL Improvement in Netflix Documentary

Eagles Wire

Eagles open practice: Biggest winners and standout plays

What is the story about?

While NFL free agency is ongoing until the end of the Super Bowl, the Cleveland Browns and the rest of the NFL are mostly scraping the bottom of the barrel at this point in time in the season. Sure, RB Kareem Hunt might be able to help a team like the Detroit Lions, and the Browns are hoping that DE Derek Barnett helps offset the loss of DE Alex Wright, but there are reasons that players are still available on the NFL free-agent market.

NFL trade rumors could start to swirl as teams prepare for cutdown

day, with Cleveland’s Thursday Night contest giving them a bit of a head start. If the free agent market doesn’t have answers, teams may look to swap positions of depth to help fill positions of weakness before starting preparation for Week 1 of the 2026 NFL regular season.

A look at a 53-man roster projection for the Browns seems to indicate some obvious holes that could be filled on the trade market. Three positions stand out with depth concerns:

Tight end

Harold Fannin Jr. is a great young starting point, but after that, Cleveland is looking at a career journeyman (Blake Whiteheart) and a late-round rookie (Carsen Ryan) to fill the rest of the depth chart. The NFL is not full of a lot of tight ends ready to play meaningful snaps who are also available in a trade, but GM Andrew Berry will likely make some calls.

Defensive end

Berry has been looking for edge help since training camp started, with Barnett coming in to offset Wright’s injury. Any and every defensive end that could hit the waiver wire or free agent market might instead end up on the Browns roster via a trade.

Cornerback

With Denzel Ward and Tyson Campbell, Cleveland’s cornerback room is set at the top. The Browns seem convinced that Myles Harden can handle the slot corner spot but, beyond that, there are a lot of questions. DC Mike Rutenberg could end up playing a lot of three safeties to offset the corner need if Berry can’t bring in any help.

Besides quarterback, which has been the big conversation all offseason, where do you have the most concern on the Browns roster and do you expect them to fill it with a trade?