Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the Browns are considering trading tackle Joe Thomas and center Alex Mack before Tuesday's trade deadline.
Thomas, 30, has spent each of his first nine seasons with Cleveland after being taken No. 3 overall in 2007. An eight-time Pro Bowler, he has never missed a game and has maintained a reputation as perhaps the NFL's best tackle despite the Browns' revolving door at quarterback.
Pro Football Focus grades Thomas as the best tackle through the season's first seven weeks, putting him significantly ahead of the Dallas Cowboys' Tyron Smith.
That the Browns would consider moving a consistent star like Thomas is curious. They haven't made the playoffs since 2002 and have maneuvered in recent seasons to become instantly competitive. It just hasn't worked. They're five games behind the Cincinnati Bengals in the loss column and are likely headed for their eighth straight losing season.
Thomas has three more seasons remaining on his
contract after 2015 but has no dead money attached. If the Browns don't feel they can compete anytime soon and Thomas can net them a series of draft picks, then maybe now's the right time to move. But any trade of Thomas would signal to fans that Cleveland has no interest in competing for the rest of 2015 and perhaps 2016.