The Cleveland Browns have a rather miserable financial situation this offseason, so they will definitely need to make some tough decisions to clear some money.
While Myles Garrett is obviously the biggest name, the Browns have numerous other players they could move in the coming weeks, and one of them is cornerback Greg Newsome II.
Newsome has been floated in trade rumors for the better part of the last year, and many were surprised that he wasn’t dealt at the deadline back in November.
The 24-year-old has just one year remaining on his deal, and with Cleveland also having Denzel Ward and Martin Emerson Jr. at the position, Newsome is fairly expendable.
Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton has listed Newsome among several of the top candidates teams could move to clear cap space this offseason, and he suggests the Browns trade him to a rather surprising NFC team: the Carolina Panthers.
“Cleveland could move on from Newsome a year early and pick up a draft pick for him if it embarks upon a rebuild this offseason,” Moton wrote. “Perhaps the Carolina Panthers show interest in Newsome because of their need at cornerback. Jaycee Horn has struggled to stay healthy, missing 31 games in four seasons, and Mike Jackson will be a free agent.”
The question is, just how much trade value does Newsome have at this point? He played in 13 games this past season and struggled mightily, finishing with 27 tackles, an interception and five passes defended while posting a paltry 52.2 overall grade at Pro Football Focus.
Perhaps Cleveland could extra a Day 3 pick out of Newsome, but the Browns probably wouldn’t be able to do anything better than a fifth-rounder.
But, it’s better than nothing, and it would open up a robust $13.4 million in cap room.