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Cleveland Browns Wise To Not Trade Joe Thomas

By Zac Wassink

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The Cleveland Browns allegedly came close to dealing left tackle Joe Thomas to the Denver Broncos before Tuesday’s National Football League trade deadline.

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There had been plenty of rumors involving the Browns trading several players following last Sunday’s loss to the Arizona Cardinals. It is understandable why those reports surfaced. The Browns are now at 2-6 and not at all close to posting even a .500 season. Cleveland’s pro football future is not all that bright. There are several players on the Browns who could contribute for a playoff contender this fall.

Thomas is one of those players.

It appeared that the Browns and the rest of the NFL would remain quiet up through the 4:00 p.m. ET trade deadline. Even news that Cleveland head coach Mike Pettine would be addressing the media a half hour before the deadline did not, on the surface, seem to be any reason for fans of the Browns to become worried and/or excited. Twitter then exploded minutes before the deadline when multiple reports emerged that the Browns and Broncos were working on a deal that included Thomas.

As Adam Schefter of ESPN, and also others, reported soon after the deadline, an agreement could not be reached before the deadline.

Cleveland general manager Ray Farmer took the podium not longer after Pettine addressed the media. Farmer, according to Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland, suggested that the Browns were not all that close to trading Thomas.

There were two big takeaways from Farmer’s press conference. The first is that he looked very uncomfortable while fielding and answering questions from members of the Cleveland media. Farmer was visibly sweating throughout the press conference, so much so that he had to wipe his forehead and his face. While he hung in there longer than some general managers would have in this situation, Farmer did not sound like a man confident in his ability to turn the Browns into a winner.

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The other takeaway is that Farmer and the Browns did not settle on Tuesday. That’s a good thing.

Neither the Browns nor the Broncos are likely to inform fans of what was/was not on the table regarding a trade involving Thomas. Neither team has any reason to be so candid about what went on behind closed doors and in phone conversations. Assuming that reports on the matter are accurate, the Browns wanted more than just a first-round draft pick for Thomas. Maybe the Browns were searching for multiple future first-round picks.

Is there a football world outside of the Madden universe where the Browns were going to receive that type of compensation for a left tackle who will one day be inducted into the Hall of Fame but who will also be 31-years-old by the end of December? Of course not. Odds are that Farmer was aware of that fact when he spoke with other general managers about Thomas or about any other players who remained on the roster of the Browns through the start of Tuesday evening.

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The truth of the matter is that the Broncos need a player such as Thomas more than the Browns do this fall. The Broncos are a perfect 7-0 after dominating the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football. 39-year-old quarterback Peyton Manning has looked like a shell of his former self for the majority of the season. This could very well be Denver’s last chance at winning a Super Bowl with this group unless Manning is somehow able to go for another year.

Farmer trying to rob the Broncos in a deal that involved Thomas not only makes sense. It’s good business.

Cleveland fans out there who are upset that the Browns did not trade Thomas en route to loading up on draft picks should remember that the Broncos are, as of November 3, on their way to being one of the best regular season teams in the NFL. It is not as if the Browns were going to acquire a top-ten selection in any deal with the Broncos. The possibility exists that the Browns could combine picks to move up in the 2016 NFL Draft. Today’s events do not erase that from being an option.

It is also worth noting that Thomas can still have a meaningful role with the Browns for years. Veteran starting quarterback Josh McCown, who has been banged up throughout the season, is attempting to recover from a rib injury before the Browns face off with the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday evening. As of the posting of this piece, it appears as if backup and second-year pro Johnny Manziel will get the nod for the Cincinnati game.

Manziel playing behind an offensive line that features Thomas should only be a positive as Manziel continues to attempt to find his feet in the NFL.

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In the end, a NFL team that is not winning anything of merit this season put a high price on arguably its best player. A different franchise attempted to negotiate with the Browns over that talent. The Browns refused to back down on the asking price. Farmer may not have won fans over with some of his answers during Tuesday’s press conference. He made a smart football decision, and that should not be ignored as the Browns prepare to face off with an undefeated division foe on the road.

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