Browns must call on AFC contending WR if he's truly on the trade block

In a surprise turn of events late on NFL Draft night, the Houston Texans are reportedly listening to deals for two-time Pro-Bowler Nico Collins.

Collins has quickly become one of the league's best wide receivers in many ways. He is a towering presence standing at 6'4" to go along with an unprecedented ability to attack the football when it is thrown at him. In his five seasons in Houston, he has become one of the top targets in football.

2025 was his second-best year as a Texan, where he finished with 71 catches for 1,117 and six touchdowns for the Texans. His career began with back-to-back sub-500-yard seasons before his career really took shape.

2023 was Collins' breakout season, where he hauled in career bests in every category. He had 80 catches for 1,297 yards and eight touchdowns. This was the same season that he and quarterback CJ Stroud eliminated the Cleveland Browns from the 2023 Playoffs.

Would the Browns trade for Nico Collins?

If the Texans are fielding calls, how aggressive should the Browns be in using their draft assets to acquire an elite wide receiver? The answer is a resounding yes.

If we learned anything from the past week, it is that teams across the league value proven commodities over the potential of their draft picks. The Cincinnati Bengals showed that earlier in the week when they traded the 10th overall pick for the 28-year-old defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence.

For Cleveland, which is very clearly in the wide receiver market, they could very easily use one of their first-round picks to entice the Texans to move their wide receiver. Cleveland could certainly come up with a haul to trade back with a team like the , acquire an additional first-round pick, and use one of their now three picks to cut a deal with the Texans.