Potential trade trade targets for the Lions
By Ash Thompson
Trade targets from the Cleveland Browns
Jabrill Peppers went to the Cleveland Browns in the first round of last year’s draft. The coaching staff immediately made it obvious they had absolutely no use for this player. The Browns new general manager John Dorsey has stated that he feels the team’s old regime did a poor job of getting head coach Hue Jackson players. If the new general manager doesn’t like the player, and the coaches do not want him, this could be a steal for the Lions.
Peppers is a perfect fit for Matt Patricia’s defense. He would slide into the role that Patrick Chung filled in New England. Peppers is under contract for three more years with a fourth-year team option. Also, devaluing Ebron from the Browns perspective is that they drafted tight end David Njoku in 2016. The two players fill a similar archetype.
Carl Nassib is another recent Browns draft choice that the coaching staff wants no part of. The previous defensive coordinator, Ray Horton, called Nassib a foundational piece for the franchise. Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland speculated prior to the 2017 season that Nassib was not nearly as well liked by current defensive coordinator Greg Williams. Nassib was drafted to play the left defensive end in a 3-4 base defense.
That position entails two-gap responsibility in the run game and values strength over quickness. Williams runs a single gape 4-3 base defense which values quickness off the ball over all other traits. The left defensive end in Matt Patricia’s defensive scheme plays a similar role to that which Nassib can fill. He has two years remaining on a contract that pays near the league minimum. Nassib is an interesting trade target for the Lions
Jamie Collins is an unlikely target. The Lions would need to use significant draft capital to make it happen. There has been absolutely no indication that the team is considering moving on from Collins, but it would make sense when viewed through a certain lens. The Browns are terrible, and will not be a good team before Collins’ contract is up.
Collins came on board and re-signed to play in Ray Horton’s defense nit Greg Williams’. He is a good enough player that he can work around any system but was having his worst year as a pro under Greg Williams before he ended up on IR after six games. He has salary cap hits of $10.65, $10, and $12 million remaining for any team that traded for him and is not going to be worth that to the browns. Collins was a world beater under Matt Patricia in New England.