The Cleveland Browns have now been on the field five times this season, and the same two problems keep staring back at them on offense: the running back room needs help, and the offensive line needs a serious upgrade.
With the NFL trade deadline less than a month away, those are the two spots Cleveland should be hunting if it wants to make a move.
The backfield issue starts with Quinshon Judkins. Since he was injured against the Bills last season, he still hasn’t gotten back to that rookie-year version of himself. Dylan Sampson’s week one injury didn’t help matters, but the Browns still need more production from the former Buckeye.
If Cleveland goes shopping for a running back, the answer probably isn’t moving on from Judkins. A more realistic path would be adding someone who can help alongside him or help create better blocking for him.
The bigger concern, though, is the offensive line.
That group is a fresh mix across the board, with all five starters new to the team this season. There are questions about experience, especially with two rookies among the five who are only five games into their pro careers. There are also questions about chemistry, even though the unit has had the offseason to get on the same page.
Whatever the cause, the results have been ugly. The Browns rank last in sacks allowed with 19. On the current pace, they’re tracking toward 65 sacks this season.
The run game hasn’t done much better. Cleveland is averaging a little over 94 yards per game, and 20 to 30 of those yards are usually coming from Deshaun Watson on scrambles.
One idea that has already surfaced is a Tony Pollard, Jerry Jeudy swap. Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay floated the trade as a way for both teams to patch weak spots on their rosters. Pollard would give Cleveland a more dynamic runner, while Jeudy would step into a needed pass-catching role for Cam Ward.
For the offensive line, the exact name matters less than the kind of player the Browns bring in. They need a proven run blocker, someone with reps in a winning system and the kind of experience that can steady the unit.
If Cleveland really wants to push for the playoffs, the offense needs more than tweaks. It needs changes now.
In Other News...
Browns Trade Debate Is Heating Up As Travis Hunter Breaks Out
The Browns decision to move out of the No. 2 spot in the 2025 NFL Draft has come back into focus as Travis Hunter keeps flashing in Jacksonville. Cleveland turned that pick into a haul that brought in Mason Graham and other additions, and those players have already helped on a roster that needed immediate help. At the time, it looked like a move built around volume and flexibility, the kind of trade that could be judged more by the cumulative returns than any single name.
Hunter, though, is making the conversation harder to avoid. In Jacksonville, he has played at an All-Pro level at cornerback and has been a major reason the Jaguars have gotten off to a strong start, which naturally has reignited the debate over what Cleveland gave up. The Browns still have pieces from the deal contributing to the present, but Hunters breakout has added a fresh layer to a trade that was always going to be measured over time. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Backfield Suddenly Has A Ravens Problem They Cant Ignore
The Browns loss to the Jets left them at 3-2, but the more immediate concern is what their backfield looks like heading into a meeting with the Ravens. Head coach Todd Monken said Quinshon Judkins is dealing with an ankle injury and is day-to-day, while Dylan Sampson is still working back from a knee injury with no clear return date yet.
That leaves Cleveland staring at a thinner rotation just as the matchup pressure rises. Raheim Sanders and Jaleel McLaughlin could be asked to handle a bigger role, which makes the coming week feel less like a routine reset and more like a test of how much depth the Browns really have when the injuries start to stack up. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Suddenly Have A Linebacker Concern They Cant Ignore
Carson Schwesinger left the Browns game against the Jets with a Grade 1 ankle sprain, but he still managed to stay on the field for every defensive snap. It was a notable finish for a rookie linebacker who has quickly become part of the fabric of Clevelands defense, and it immediately turned the focus from the injury itself to how he would handle the next few days.
His status for Week 6 now hinges on how he responds in practice, with the Ravens looming next on the schedule. The concern is bigger than one players availability, because Cleveland does not have much depth at inside linebacker, which makes Schwesingers health a key piece of the defensive puzzle heading into a tough matchup. [Read more 🡒]