Browns face obstacle from NFC team for huge NFL Draft trade

Browns face obstacle from NFC team for huge NFL Draft trade originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

With the Cleveland Browns owning two selections inside the first round, there is a lot that they could do in the trade market.

But, instead of using that extra first to trade up, the Browns are reportedly interested in using their top-10 pick to do something else.

According to Jordan Reid of ESPN, the Browns and the Arizona Cardinals are both seeking the same NFL Draft trade inside the top-10 in the form of a trade-down early in the draft.

Browns face obstacle from Cardinals for big NFL Draft trade

"I think we're in for an exciting first round, but teams will remain cautious about giving up early draft capital for 2027," Reid writes. "It always takes two teams to tango, though sources are telling me the Cardinals (No. 3) and Browns (No. 6) both want to move back in the top 10 itself."

This is a tough reality for the Browns, as they will have to contend with the Cardinals, a team that owns a higher draft pick than the Browns.

If a team is willing to move up in the draft and wants to guarantee they land the player they have their sights set on, the Cardinals are a much more likely trade partner.

The best example of why this could pose a problem for the Browns is with the second edge rusher to go off the board.

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The New York Jets are looking likely to take one of Arvell Reese or David Bailey. But, Arizona might trade out of that pick for the other edge.

In that scenario, the Browns would miss out on a team to trade back with, and also lose the chance to use that other edge, if they were to fall to No. 6, as a reason to move up.

With both edge rushers likely to go off the board before the Browns pick, Cleveland would have to hope some team is very interested in Sonny Styles, Caleb Downs, or Ruben Bain Jr., Carnell Tate, or even Jeremiyah Love.

This trade-down situation is a tricky one for the Browns, as they aren't going to have an easy time finding a partner to move down with, thanks to the Cardinals eyeing a move down as well.

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