The Cleveland Browns have had one of the best interior offensive lines in the NFL for years, but that may soon be coming to an end.
Offensive guards Wyatt Teller and Joel Bitonio, both multiple time Pro Bowlers and All-Pro selections, are each entering the final year of their respective contracts in 2025.
Cleveland already has an expensive roster and must focus on getting younger and cheaper at key positions now absent the luxury of paying big money to keep aging stars on the roster who represent greater financial risk due to possible injuries or declines in performance. Teller is 30 years old and entering his eighth professional campaign in 2025, the final year on his $57 million contract.
Pro Football & Sports Network predicted Teller as the Browns’ most likely trade candidate ahead of the 2025 season, naming three NFC teams that would be prime candidates for his services.
Any move wouldn’t come until after the draft when teams see how their starting offensive line shakes out. The Browns wouldn’t save cap room unless they trade Teller after June 1 anyway (at which point they’d save $7 million in cap room this year while taking on $19.2 million in dead money through 2028).
The [Seattle] Seahawks and [Minnesota] Vikings both ranked in the bottom five in pressures allowed from guards last year and could immediately plug Teller in as a starter. The [Dallas] Cowboys were among the best teams in pass protection from guards but lost future Hall of Famer Zack Martin to retirement. Teller could immediately step in as Martin’s successor at right guard.
Browns Have Several Major Decisions to Make in NFL Draft
GettyHead coach Kevin Stefanski of the Cleveland Browns.
Cleveland’s roster is something of a mess heading into the draft and how next week’s seven rounds play out will have a profound impact on the direction the team takes in 2025.
In turn, the success of next season could determine the futures of head coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry with the franchise.
The Browns own the No. 2 pick in the first round, and despite needing a relatively inexpensive and long-term solution at the quarterback position, which the top of the draft is perfect for, Cleveland appears to be leaning toward cornerback/wide receiver and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter.
Browns Predicted to Trade for Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart
GettyFormer Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. and Field Yates authored an alternating three-round mock draft on April 15, in which they predicted that the Browns will, in fact, select Hunter second overall.
They then projected that Cleveland will trade back into the first round, sending the Nos. 33 and 67 overall picks in 2025 to the Washington Commanders in return for pick Nos. 29 and 128. Kiper and Yates then predict the Browns will draft Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart with the 29th pick.
“The Browns can’t risk the [New York] Giants leapfrogging them from the top of the second round, so they could make their own aggressive move up,” Yates wrote. “Dart would fill out the Browns’ quarterback room with Deshaun Watson out (Achilles), joining Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco. He’s accurate and mobile with a big arm. And by getting him in Round 1, Cleveland would have a fifth-year option on Dart, too.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Browns Predicted to Trade $57 Million Pro Bowler After NFL Draft appeared first on Heavy Sports.