Cleveland Browns fans have been through a lot, and most of them are not interested in a rebuild or reset by the team. Star DE Myles Garrett also made it clear that he is not a fan of rebuilding; he wants to compete and win. With the 2026 NFL draft kicking off Thursday night, the Browns could continue to build around the young core that they brought in via last year’s NFL draft and push to be competitive as soon as possible.
At the same time, it seems almost as likely that Cleveland will look to continue their roster reset, which started in full this offseason with the departures of Wyatt Teller, David Njoku (likely), and Joel Bitonio (also likely).
Garrett trade rumors picked back up this offseason when the team and player agreed to a new adjusted contract that would make a trade more palatable for the Browns. It is possible that a bump in pay, not a trade, is where things end up for Garrett in Cleveland, as an NFL Insider suggested, but the Browns could be open to trading him for a big haul after June 1st (for salary cap reasons).
If Garrett goes, CB Denzel Ward could follow right behind him. Besides QB Deshaun Watson, the two star defenders are the only players on the roster that count $11 million or more against the team’s salary cap.
The Garrett rumors died down just as rumors of Cleveland wanting to trade down in this year’s draft started to heat up. The Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, and Los Angeles Rams have all been noted as possible trade partners for the Browns. The Arizona Cardinals have also been mentioned heavily in a desire to trade up from the second round to get QB Ty Simpson.
If the trio of owner Jimmy Haslam, GM Andrew Berry, and HC Todd Monken are all on the same page about fully resetting Cleveland’s roster and future, four trades could get that done, and quickly, starting with Thursday night.
CLE gets picks 12 & 20DAL gets picks 6 & 107
Versions of this trade have been discussed throughout the NFL draft process. Simple, easy. The Cowboys get one of the defenders they covet and one of the few premium prospects in this year’s draft, while the Browns get a third first-round pick.
CLE gets picks 65, 104 & 2027 1st round pickARZ gets pick 20 & 149
In a normal draft class, this type of trade just wouldn’t happen. The Browns would take pick #33 and a 2nd round pick in 2027 instead. Given what picks Cleveland has and the desire for more draft capital in 2027, Berry gets creative here and adds early picks in the third and fourth rounds, but the key is next year’s first-rounder.
Arizona makes sure they get their quarterback in Simpson while keeping the third and 33rd pick in this year’s draft to help support the young QB.
Like Garrett, trading Ward only makes sense after June 1st, when the Browns can save $17 million against the cap this year. A number of teams that feel they are in a position to compete for the Super Bowl are likely willing to pony up a second-round pick, potentially with an additional asset (whether pick or young player) for Ward. A team that strikes out in the draft or has a major injury during offseason programming will have Berry on speed dial for Ward.
CLE receives PHI’s ‘27 1st round pick, New England’s ‘27 1st round pick (after the AJ Brown trade), PHI’s ‘28 1st round pick
The biggest move of them all, as shared in The Feed earlier on Wednesday, would see the Browns add three first-round picks, and possibly more, in exchange for Garrett. While the Eagles and Patriots are both expected to be good, Berry would be hedging his bets that one of them has an off year, for whatever reason. You can never replace Garrett, but that isn’t the only question to be asked. Can Cleveland be better in the next few seasons after trading Garrett is a key question.
Philadelphia, with the assumed Brown trade and their constant push for another Super Bowl, is a team that can both satisfy the Browns big trade demand and get Garrett to waive his no-trade clause.
2027 draft picks: 1st round picks from the Cardinals, Eagles, Patriots
Cleveland’s 2026 NFL draft picks would be as follows:
Should the Browns do a full reset that only involves trading their two best players and moving around in this year’s draft? That would be for history to decide. Are each of these trades realistic? Anything can be realistic in the NFL; these moves are based on some logic. Would Cleveland for sure be better starting in 2027? Unfortunately, history tells us that almost nothing (including having the best defensive player and a great cornerback) is certain to work.
Will all of this happen? Probably not. In fact, the draft day trades are probably less likely than a Garrett and/or Ward trade.
Would some Browns fans hate another rest? For sure. Would some Cleveland fans be excited about what the future could hold after all these moves? Possibly.