Cleveland Browns outside tackle Joe Thomas is in the trade rumors nowadays. After news circulated that he will be traded to the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams, Thomas also got the attention of the New England Patriots.
Earlier reports mentioned that the Broncos almost got the services of Thomas during the offseason but the deal never happened. Now that the Browns are struggling, it looks like trading Thomas would be the first step for them to rebuild for next season.
According to The Inquisitr, the Browns is peddling Thomas to other teams to be able to get a second round pick in the 2017 NFL draft. It will also hard for the Browns to deal Thomas during the ongoing season as teams who interested on him would need around $4.9 million in cap space for the trade to proceed.
But it looks like the Patriots have the necessary cap space to take on Thomas' contract and acquire him to the Browns. The Patriots need support on their offensive line as starting OT Sebastian Vollmer would likely be out until the end of the season and the arrival of Thomas would immediately fill in that void.
Adding Thomas to Pats lineup would solidify their offensive line and could sustain their hold at the top spot of the AFC Division. The report also says that earlier this year, the Browns and Pats discuss a deal allowing Thomas to join the Pats in exchange for linebacker Barkevious Mingo. But the trade didn't prosper and now they are revisiting the possible deal again.
On the separate report by Sportsrageous, the Minnesota Vikings also express their intention to acquire Thomas but they don't have an asset or picks that they could deal with the Browns. The report also says that the Vikings already gave away their first round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles in a trade involving QB Sam Bradford.
Will the Cleveland Browns finally release Joe Thomas to the New England Patriots?
