ESPN analyst and former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky thinks the Cleveland Browns should attempt to trade for Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins ahead of the Oct. 31 NFL trade deadline.
The Browns are in a rather unexpected quandary under center, as the early returns on the Deshaun Watson trade have been nothing short of an unmitigated disaster.
Cleveland initially acquired Watson in a blockbuster trade with the Houston Texans back in March 2022. Watson had to serve an 11-game suspension to begin his debut season with the Browns, but once he finally returned, he did not look too impressive in his six contests.
This season, Watson has not looked great either, and he also missed Weeks 4 and 6 (Cleveland had a bye in Week 5) due to a shoulder injury. Then, this past Sunday, Watson exited the club’s win over the Indianapolis Colts early after taking a big hit. He passed concussion protocol, but head coach Kevin Stefanski opted to roll with PJ Walker as a precautionary measure.
Watson went 1-for-5 with five yards and an interception before leaving the game.
In four contests this season, Watson has looked very shaky, which prompted Orlovsky to suggest the Browns should pursue a trade for Cousins over the next week.
Of course, the chances of the Vikings dealing Cousins at this point are slim to none.
Not only would moving Cousins—who has a no-trade clause—prove very difficult, but Minnesota has actually won three of its last four games to improve to 3-4 and amazingly insert itself back into the NFC playoff picture after looking dead in the water over the first three weeks.
Cleveland has gotten off to a 4-2 start thanks to a superb defense that ranks No. 1 in the NFL in yards allowed. However, it’s clear that the Browns have issues that need to be addressed offensively, and it starts with the quarterback position.
Unfortunately for Cleveland, Kirk Cousins probably isn’t a realistic answer.
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