Dawgs By Nature
The NFL draft is over, NFL free agency is almost over so what moves didn’t the Browns make?
With rookie minicamp opening for the Cleveland Browns later this week, the NFL offseason is all but over when it comes to major moves. At least until we get to training camp or there is a major injury around the league.
The Browns offseason hasn’t been full of moves, but there have been a few big ones around the NFL draft. A quiet NFL free agency was unusual for GM Andrew Berry, but a few veterans were brought in to stabilize things.
This weekend, we asked you what the best move Cleveland made this offseason, providing a full list of the transactions. Today, we look at three realistic but major moves the Browns could have made but did not:
After signing five-year extensions during training camp last year, many thought Berry and Stefanski should be on the chopping block after a three-win season. Instead, it seems that Jimmy Haslam has given the pair a restart in 2025.
Whether keeping both was a good or bad move will be clear by the end of the 2026 season.
As the Browns are uncertain who will be starting at quarterback in 2025, the Las Vegas Raiders answered their most important position by sending just a third-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks for Smith. The Raiders have since extended Smith, who had a history with Pete Carroll, while Cleveland signed veteran Joe Flacco and traded for Kenny Pickett.
While Smith may not be an elite talent, he’s better and more consistent than the five quarterbacks on the Browns roster.
Trading down in exchange for three premium draft selections might turn out to be a good move for the team, but Hunter is a unicorn. The Jacksonville Jaguars gave up a huge haul to move up three spots and have a better quarterback in Trevor Lawrence. Hunter’s success or lack of with the Jags doesn’t mean he’d have performed the same in Cleveland but fans and media will be watching and taking notes.
The Browns couldn’t have known how things would play out, but they ended up passing on a chance to reunite Shedeur Sanders and Hunter in the NFL. Mason Graham, Quinshon Judkins and the 2026 first-round pick acquired for Hunter will need to make big impacts for passing on Hunter to be worth it.
Which of the above moves should the Browns have made? Is there another move that was made (non-free agency because players have power to decide where they go) that Cleveland should have made?
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