Cleveland Browns Acquire $39 Million Wide Receiver, Former Deshaun Watson Weapon in Proposed Trade

The Cleveland Browns could really use some help in the wide receiving department in 2024, but given their tight salary cap situation, they need a cheaper but reliable option.

Considering all that, the Browns might want to consider trading for Brandin Cooks from the Dallas Cowboys. While Cooks’ receiving yards declined once again in 2023, he could benefit from reuniting with his former quarterback in Deshaun Watson, who is expected to return to full health next campaign.

For the Browns, Cooks’ cap hit in 2024 is only at $10 million–a bit cheaper than Amari Cooper who could be traded by the team to free up some cap space. Not to mention that giving Watson a familiar weapon should at least help improve their offense.

Cleveland Browns Trade for Brandin Cooks With Dallas Cowboys

So how can the Browns acquire Cooks from the Cowboys? Well. Dallas’ asking price shouldn’t be too steep since they could also save some valuable cap space by moving him.

Furthermore, the Cowboys traded a 2023 fifth-round pick and 2024 sixth-round pick for Cooks in the past offseason. For the Browns to land the 30-year-old wideout, Bleacher Report’s NFL scouting department proposed sending two fifth-round picks in 2024 and 2025.

Here’s what BR wrote about the trade proposal and why it makes sense for both sides:

As Knox points out with the Cowboys, Brandin Cooks could be one of their top trade candidates. They would save $4 million against the cap by trading away the veteran, and they paid a minimal draft cost for him last offseason anyway.

Some of Cooks’ best work in Houston came in 2020 when he had Deshaun Watson throwing him the football. Now the Browns are desperate to make sure that Watson proves to be worthy of the trade package and compensation they gave up for him. If reuniting the two would do the trick, it has to be a consideration.

If the Browns end up parting ways with wide receiver Amari Cooper in a bid to lessen their salary cap burdens, it’s definitely worth targeting Brandin Cooks as a potential replacement.

Of course it’s unknown if the Browns will have any interest in Cooks at all, but it’s something to keep an eye on when the offseason officially begins.

Brandin Cooks’ Stats With Deshaun Watson

Cooks and Watson played one season together with the Houston Texans in 2020. The veteran wide receiver had quite the solid year back then, recording 81 receptions for 1150 yards and six touchdowns.

It’s actually his most reception yards in the last five years, although Cooks had eight receiving touchdowns with the Cowboys in the past season.

Cooks has proven with the Cowboys that he can still be a red-zone threat, which is something that a Browns team with a below average passing offense can really benefit from.

Whether the Browns pull the trigger on a trade, however, has yet to be seen.