Cleveland Browns Should Ignore Philadelphia Eagles' Offer To Trade Up

If the Cleveland Browns are looking to trade out of the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, it appears they’ve been presented an offer to do so. Though not official, word is the Philadelphia Eagles are willing to part with a few assets to swap spots with Cleveland. Per Alex Marvez of Fox Sports, the Eagles are offering their No. 8 pick, their two third-round picks this year and their 2017 first and third-round picks.

It’s definitely a sizable proposition, and it certainly seems like the Eagles are offering this in order to draft whichever quarterback the Los Angeles Rams pass on. If this is indeed what Philly is willing to surrender to move up, the Browns definitely need to take some time and consider it.

My hope, though, is that they eventually pass.

For all intents and purposes, Cleveland trading out has become the biggest rumor as the draft approaches. Multiple outlets are claiming the Browns are calling teams themselves, asking what they’d be willing to give to get the No. 2 pick. Much of this is likely due to the Rams making the leap to No. 1 last week, where they’ll either take Jared Goff or Carson Wentz as their QB of the future.

However, regardless of who L.A. takes, Cleveland should still stay put.

For one, passing on whichever QB the Rams don’t take means the Browns are content relying on Robert Griffin III as their 2016 starter. To the surprise of nobody, this is an incredibly huge risk.

Griffin has dealt with injury issues every year of his career, and his confidence is in need of repairs as well. Getting him ready to take the reins in 2016 will require a lot of work from Cleveland’s coaches, and even after that he still might not be ready.

With that in mind, the Browns can’t afford to bow out of the Wentz or Goff sweepstakes. Sure, taking a top-tier quarterback might put even more pressure on Griffin. However, Browns coach Hue Jackson told him well before the team signed him that he should expect competition for his job.

Additionally, the recent high demand to trade up for a chance to take one of these quarterbacks should definitely be catching the attention of the Browns.

Think about it – if both Eagles and Rams are dying to move up and take one of these quarterbacks, doesn’t that say something? Doesn’t each team offering a large package of picks imply that either Goff or Wentz would be a worth a high selection?

Sure, you can say “to each his own.” Philadelphia and L.A. may love these players more than Cleveland. However, the Browns are a quarterback-starved franchise, one which hasn’t seen anything looking like a long-time starter since its rebirth in 1999. Now they have a chance to take one of the two best available QBs, and teams around the league are trying to move up for one of them.

Cleveland, read the room. Stop overthinking.

The Browns have plenty of picks this draft. It isn’t as though they only have a couple to work with. Just stay at No. 2 and take a quarterback.

Does Philly or L.A. vying to take Goff or Wentz mean either is about to become a Hall of Famer? Not at all. At the same time, can Cleveland really afford to once again pass on taking a potential franchise quarterback?

The answer is no. Hopefully the team feels the same come next Thursday.