{"id":891848,"date":"2026-05-15T11:18:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T11:18:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/891848\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T11:18:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T11:18:23","slug":"browns-have-a-new-trade-target-that-should-be-on-the-radar-as-otas-approach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/891848\/","title":{"rendered":"Browns Have a New Trade Target That Should Be on the Radar As OTAs Approach"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6v\">The Cleveland Browns have never been shy about adding weapons to their offensive arsenal.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6y\">When it comes to injuries, the Cleveland Browns seem to find themselves in the same position each year, ultimately lacking proven depth to carry the load once the injury bug strikes.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"71\">This move would purely be based around Quinshon Judkins, Cleveland\u2019s rising star running back, who<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/browns\/onsi\/news\/new-quinshon-judkins-injury-update-expected-status-for-next-year-revealed-01kde7n7qyeb\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> suffered a gruesome injury in December 2025<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-3\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"74\">If the Cleveland Browns want to jump the gun and ensure they have a proven option if Quinshon Judkins isn\u2019t 100 percent by training camp, they may look to trade for James Conner of the Arizona Cardinals.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Why trading for Conner makes sense<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-5\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7a\">In the event that Quinshon Judkins isn\u2019t fully healthy heading into training camp this summer, the Cleveland Browns can\u2019t fully bank on fellow second-year option Dylan Sampson. Sure, it\u2019s an affordable but unproven route to take, and that has often come back to bite Cleveland when it matters most.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-6\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7d\">Trading for James Conner, who finds himself as Arizona Cardinals\u2019 third-string running back following their acquisition of Tyler Allgeier, would give the Cleveland Browns an immediate, proven upgrade at the position to help offset Quinshon Judkins\u2019 absence as he continues working his way back up to speed.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-7\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7g\">One thing fans have overlooked is the severity of Quinshon Judkins\u2019 injury, especially given he\u2019s only entering his second year with the Cleveland Browns. He <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/nfl\/profootballtalk\/rumor-mill\/news\/quinshon-judkins-suffered-dislocated-ankle-fractured-fibula\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">suffered not only a dislocated ankle but also a fractured fibula<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-8\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7j\">This kind of injury for any age running back could definitely impact their explosiveness upon return. Not to mention, this injury occurred less than six months ago, and while his surgery was successful, there\u2019s no sense in rushing him back given his success when healthy.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-9\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7m\">Not only would James Conner give the Cleveland Browns insurance heading into the early stages of the 2026 season, but he\u2019s also on an affordable contract. Conner is due $2.1 million in guaranteed money this season after his deal was restructured back in March.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>What Conner can bring to the Browns<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-11\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7s\">One big positive to adding James Conner would be his physical style of play as a downhill runner. The Cleveland Browns love their downhill runners, and he excels in short-yardage situations and in the red zone.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-12\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7v\">James Conner still possesses toughness and grit, something that he may be able to instill in both Quinshon Judkins when he returns, as well as Dylan Sampson within their rotation.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-13\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7y\">The Cleveland Browns <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/browns\/onsi\/projecting-the-browns-offensive-line-for-the-2026-season-01kr0aetkjaf\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">revamped their offensive line during the offseason <\/a>and in the NFL Draft to ensure the utmost protection for their quarterback. James Conner also brings veteran pass-blocking ability to the field, as he understands protections and knows when to pick up blitzes.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-14\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"81\">Any help that the Cleveland Browns can bring in to help their offense stay on track and increase scoring would be welcome. For James Conner, he brings reliability, veteran leadership, and stable production even at 31 years old.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-15\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"84\">In 2025, James Conner saw a significant drop-off in production prior to his season-ending injury. In three games played, he posted 95 yards on 32 carries with one touchdown.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-16\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"87\">He has fully recovered from his foot surgery and is ready to go heading into this season. If the Cleveland Browns want to play it safe with Quinshon Judkins, James Conner could be in play for a trade.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\" class=\"shrink-0\"\/>Add us as a preferred source on Google<a aria-label=\"Follow si.com on Google News\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=si.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"flex h-[30px] w-[30px] shrink-0 items-center justify-center rounded-full bg-primary font-group-large text-sm font-medium text-white transition-colors hover:bg-secondary focus:bg-secondary md:w-auto md:gap-2.5 md:px-4 md:py-[5px]\">Follow<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Cleveland Browns have never been shy about adding weapons to their offensive arsenal. When it comes to&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":891849,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2054],"tags":[86,85,54,2337,7,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-891848","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cleveland-browns","8":"tag-browns","9":"tag-cleveland","10":"tag-cleveland-browns","11":"tag-clevelandbrowns","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116578320905859571","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/891848","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=891848"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/891848\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/891849"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=891848"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=891848"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=891848"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}