At 2-7, the Browns are using the final day before the trade deadline to move on from players who aren’t in their plans for 2025 and beyond. Moving on from Jefferson and edge rusher Za’Darius Smith opens up snaps to evaluate second-round defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr. and defensive end Isaiah McGuire.

The Browns have a new starting quarterback and a new found belief in themselves that could stop them from selling at the trade deadline.

Surely more clarity will be provided over the coming weeks, but for now, the Browns are back in the top five of the 2025 NFL draft. They would hold pick No. 5 if the draft were today, but only due to Strength of Schedule tiebreakers. Each team picking in the top five holds a record of 2-7, so the margin between them is razor-thin.

The Cleveland Browns are officially, but not mathematically, eliminated from NFL playoff contention in 2024 in the eyes of DBN and everyone else. The Browns were throttled in Week 9 and now we can focus only on the rooting guides that relate to the 2025 NFL draft and Cleveland’s positioning.