CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – The Browns will make their run to try to end the league’s longest playoff drought as is.
Executive vice president and general manager Andrew Berry did not make a move and the NFL’s 4 p.m. eastern trade deadline came and went quietly.
That also means that tight end David Njoku’s on and off and then on-again trade request will have to wait until March.
Njoku requested a trade in July before rescinding it and then requested to be moved earlier this season but Berry did not want to simply give Njoku away.
The loss of Odell Beckham Jr. to a torn ACL for the season as well as deficiencies at all levels of the defense - defensive end, linebacker, safety and corner had some believing Berry would make a move to patch a hole or two, but that never materialized.
Because the Browns simply were not a player away, Berry was not looking simply for a rent-a-player type deal, but rather someone who could contribute beyond 2020.
Berry will be busy in the offseason reconstructing that side of the football.
The economics of the game also played a factor.
Uncertainty about the salary cap in 2021 and the expected decrease had many teams hesitant to make major moves.
The Browns enter the bye week at 5-3, exceeding expectations, but also smarting from a disappointing 16-6 loss at home to the Raiders Sunday.
