The Cleveland Browns are something of an enigma. They sit in the second-overall slot in the 2016 NFL Draft and have given very little indication, either via leaked reports or pre-draft visits, of what direction they could potentially be leaning with the pick. We didn't get many clues from their approach to free agency, considering they did a lot of watching and very little maneuvering, and they've got holes at plenty of spots on the roster.
In short, they're a real wild card.
But one thing they couldn't have foreseen that may finally spur some action out of Sashi Brown and Paul DePodesta is the recent blockbuster trade pulled off by the Los Angeles Rams, securing the first-overall pick from the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a haul of picks this year and next.
Per a recent report, Cal quarterback Jared Goff was - and presumably still is - the Browns' "guy." Unfortunately the Browns, always the bridesmaid, never the bride, now expect the Rams and head coach Jeff Fisher to select Goff, who played at one of the biggest college programs in California and would immediately take over the top spot for a franchise that's been in Los Angeles for all of two months and is desperate to secure the ardor of their new fan base.
As a result, the Browns' desire to move down from No. 2 has "intensified."
That's not really surprising, especially if they were as enamored with Goff and certain that the Rams will take him as the report suggests.
Really, of all the options that have been available to the new Browns brass in the first-round, trading down always seemed to make the most sense, both for the franchise's immediate and long-term benefit and in terms of the so-called "Moneyball" approach that DePodesta favors.
Why put all your eggs in one overpaid, Jalen Ramsey- or Laremy Tunsil-shaped basket when you can trade back, add to your cache of selections, and increase the chances of hitting on an elite player or three by going for volume over perceived quality?
You can bet, based on DePodesta's open defiance of accepted thinking back when he was just that chubby kid in the suit whispering to Brad Pitt about Johnny Damon - that actually happened, right? - that the Browns are going to make at least a few picks that will leave pundits scratching their heads and fans screaming bloody murder. Better to make those selections outside the top-5, maybe the top-10.
Really though, the Browns are starting from scratch. The team has holes at just about every level and one player won't fix the mess.
That Brown and DePodesta want to trade back makes sense. Whether they're willing to drop their asking price in the wake of the Rams-Titans deal - or up it, considering the price LA paid - is the question.
