The Cleveland Browns Walk Away As Huge Winners At The NFL Trade Deadline
The 2022 NFL trade deadline is gone, and the Cleveland Browns made zero moves on Tuesday to help improve or diminish the team. However, the Cleveland Browns made a move in the middle of October after losing to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week Five and acquired Atlanta Falcons’ linebacker, Deion Jones.
What Happened To Change The Cleveland Browns Approach?
The Cleveland Browns were on a four-game losing streak and two and four heading into their Week Eight Monday Night Football matchup with their divisional rivals, the Cincinnati Bengals. There were rumors surrounding the team all week that a handful of players could be on the move if they lost the game.
If the Cleveland Browns had lost, they would be sitting at two and six, and their shot at making the playoffs would’ve been over. That’s why players’ names like running back Kareem Hunt, right tackle Jack Conklin, and cornerback Greedy Williams were all mentioned as trade possibilities.
Kareem Hunt said he asked for a trade earlier in camp and he's open to whatever happens. He said he'll probably go to one of his favorite restaurants tomorrow. #Browns pic.twitter.com/g17mA1Gm4H — Bridget Condon (@BridgetCondon_) November 1, 2022
The great news is that the Cleveland Browns beat the Cincinnati Bengals 32-13 and improved to three and five with nine games left. It was a breath of fresh air in Cleveland that their four-game losing streak was over, and the Cleveland Browns are heading into their bye week with their playoff hopes still alive.
Did Monday Nights Win Save The Roster?
Of course, after the Cleveland Browns’ massive win on Monday night, it was time to wake up on Tuesday morning, NFL trade deadline day, and see if the Cleveland Browns would be adding or getting rid of talent. But instead, many people wanted to see if the win would cause the Cleveland Browns not to sell any of their players and keep moving forward with this roster.
Trade deadline has expired, and RB Kareem Hunt remains on the #Browns, per source — Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) November 1, 2022
The Cleveland Browns decided on Tuesday afternoon to stay put and not make any additions or subtractions to the roster. Kareem Hunt, the most rumored player to be traded, will be staying in Cleveland, Ohio, for another couple of months before his contract runs out at the end of the season.
The Cleveland Browns Had A Huge Deadline Win
How exactly did the Cleveland Browns win the trade deadline? They were able to, in the last 24 hours, get a vast divisional win over the Cincinnati Bengals and give them reason and hope to believe that if they keep the roster the way it is, good things could happen in the last nine games and they could maybe sneak their way into the playoffs.
The Cleveland Browns acquiring Deion Jones a few weeks ago was a massive win for the team. However, the team lost their defensive leader and linebacker Anthony Walker for the season in their Week Three win vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers. Jacob Phillips, who took over for Walker, wasn’t exactly playing the best also lost to an injury last week and will miss the rest of the season.
The Cleveland Browns were also missing star linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah vs. the Cincinnati Bengals, and three of the primary linebackers to start the season were missing. However, Jones stepped up in the games, had a massive sack on Joe Burrow, and was part of an excellent defensive performance by the Cleveland Browns.
New guy Deion Jones with a sack and the Bengals are punting again — Nick Shook (@TheNickShook) November 1, 2022
Another win for the Cleveland Browns will be when their franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson returns in Week 13 for their matchup with the Houston Texans. The Cleveland Browns have three more games before that date against the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If the Cleveland Browns can pull out one or even two of those wins, they could be in a lovely spot when Watson returns to make a playoff push in their last six games.
It was a win that the Browns kept Hunt, and he and Nick Chubb can continue the best running back duo in the NFL for the rest of the season, and Hunt is going to be a massive weapon in this offense when Watson returns.