Is the "Trade for Talent" strategy secretly killing us?

[Havic]

We had to make trades because we've drafted poorly, specifically on the defensive side.

 

[Momanpr100]

The problem is the people aquiring the talent in the trades

 

[Sully]

I’ve been thinking and contemplating about how our front office has built the roster over the last few seasons, and I think we need to talk about a worrying trend.

There’s no denying that the front office has shifted its philosophy. We used to be a pure "draft and develop" team that completely avoided external premium talent.

Recently, we’ve used trades as our version of premium free agency—giving up draft picks to bring in bigger names like Rashan Gary, Quinnen Williams, Joey Porter Jr. and George Pickens, or even veteran depth like Stephon Gilmore and Brandin Cooks a few years back.

Now, don't get me wrong: acquiring elite talent is always good. But I’m starting to worry that this strategy is quietly depleting our long-term foundation.

Here is why this "one person in, multiple future players out" approach might be hurting us more than we think:

• We are bleeding draft capital: To get these top-tier guys, we are constantly shipping off day-two and day-three draft picks.
• We are losing out on cheap rookie contracts.
• We aren't growing our own talent pool: We have a lot of names at the top, but our depth is entirely made up of bargain-bin, one-year free agents (think Eric Kendricks or Dante Fowler types over the years). Because we keep trading away picks, I'm starting to think we aren't drafting enough young players to actually develop. One veteran trade-in effectively deletes 2 to 3 young, homegrown developmental players from our pipeline.

I've always supported the trades because you are acquiring a "known commodity" vs an unknown prospect, but the more I think about it... Are these trades actually worth the long-term cost to our depth, or are we setting ourselves up for a major crash when the bill comes due?

Curious to hear what you guys think.

Jerry has shown for 30 years that he doesn't know what he is doing---building a team on the field

 

[DasTex]

Dont forget they drafted CD Lamb as well....but I get what you're saying and I been saying for years Will McClay and his team of scouts cant scout and draft defense...it's hot mess....

That was 2020 - I was just trying to use recent years, where the defensive players could still be on their rookie deals (affordable talent)

 

[Bigrandrn]

It’s WHO we trade for. Jerry makes a lot of bad decision in trade and FA, drafting D players is not usually good, a ton of flops the past several years. We traded a first and second for Q…..Bengals traded 1 first for Dex and Falcons traded like a 5th and a nobody player for Gervon Dexter….both are like top 1 and 4 DTs in pff right now.

 

[gimmesix]

They fared well in some of them. Cooks and Gilmore specifically. Amari is another one. I think you have to trade for the ascending player on proven guy. The hungry guy. Those Kenneth Murray and Peyton Turner types aren’t it.

Cooper? We traded a first-round pick for him.

Cooks and Gilmore weren't bad, but both were on their last legs and weren't near what they had been at their peak. You are not going to trade a late-round pick for an ascending player, unless it's someone you think can ascend like Murray.

I think if we're not going to use free agency to get bona fides to improve the roster, then trading first- and second-day picks is the best hope. You are going to hit on some of those to find stalwarts for your roster but you are going to miss on some of those too. A third for Pickens, a second for Porter, a first and second for Quinnen is the best hope of supplementing what you've got if you don't use free agency.

A fourth for a player like Gary is hoping that a descending player still has something in the tank. A fifth for Winters is hoping that a backup thrust into a starter role is the quality of starter his team didn't think he was.

 

[ShortRound]

I would give up a first round pick for a true top tier coach.

 

[Robbieac]

If I was an owner I wouldn’t let the fans influence my decisions. That’s a ticket to Cleveland status.

As usual, this post makes no sense whatsoever.

How do Cleveland Browns fans influence their owner’s decisions?

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Cooper? We traded a first-round pick for him.

Cooks and Gilmore weren't bad, but both were on their last legs and weren't near what they had been at their peak. You are not going to trade a late-round pick for an ascending player, unless it's someone you think can ascend like Murray.

I think if we're not going to use free agency to get bona fides to improve the roster, then trading first- and second-day picks is the best hope. You are going to hit on some of those to find stalwarts for your roster but you are going to miss on some of those too. A third for Pickens, a second for Porter, a first and second for Quinnen is the best hope of supplementing what you've got if you don't use free agency.

A fourth for a player like Gary is hoping that a descending player still has something in the tank. A fifth for Winters is hoping that a backup thrust into a starter role is the quality of starter his team didn't think he was.

I have zero issues with trading for the Winters or even the Michael Bennett deal. I just don’t believe in the draft process. It’s not even a Cowboy problem it is tough to find good players and develop them.

 

[ShiningStar]

Because you're my inspiration when you dropped out in kindergarten!!

at least i dont need 30 years to figure out facts

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

As usual, this post makes no sense whatsoever.

How do Cleveland Browns fans influence their owner’s decisions?

The Shedeur stuff was for sure influenced by fans.

 

[ShiningStar]

Jerry has shown for 30 years that he doesn't know what he is doing---building a team on the field

or, after looking at the facts, he knew what to built, he built what he wanted to build and the fans dont understand. lets give this a try

 

[kskboys]

Of course. You only make those trades if you're not far off. We have a GM who is incapable of determining that.

 

[gimmesix]

I have zero issues with trading for the Winters or even the Michael Bennett deal. I just don’t believe in the draft process. It’s not even a Cowboy problem it is tough to find good players and develop them.

I agree with this. I didn't have a problem trading a fifth for Winters. Even if he ended up being a backup/special-teammer, that's more than we often get out of fifth-round picks. Look at Blue, he's already on another team.

I'm just saying that I believe where trading has failed us before in the strategy our front office uses is that we haven't traded enough for top-quality players. That takes quality picks, like a second for Porter and a third for Pickens. If we're not going to go after those type players in free agency, then we have to go after them in trades.

I don't think we'll win with that strategy because then we won't have draft picks to supplement players we trade for, but we're behind the eight-ball to win with our current strategy anyway. As I and others have said before, you have to use all areas of roster-building.

 

[kevm3]

No, the lack of a real gm and lack of proper coaching is. Isnt itvamazing how much better the giants look with harbaugh?

 

[GINeric]

I’ve been thinking and contemplating about how our front office has built the roster over the last few seasons, and I think we need to talk about a worrying trend.

There’s no denying that the front office has shifted its philosophy. We used to be a pure "draft and develop" team that completely avoided external premium talent.

Recently, we’ve used trades as our version of premium free agency—giving up draft picks to bring in bigger names like Rashan Gary, Quinnen Williams, Joey Porter Jr. and George Pickens, or even veteran depth like Stephon Gilmore and Brandin Cooks a few years back.

Now, don't get me wrong: acquiring elite talent is always good. But I’m starting to worry that this strategy is quietly depleting our long-term foundation.

Here is why this "one person in, multiple future players out" approach might be hurting us more than we think:

• We are bleeding draft capital: To get these top-tier guys, we are constantly shipping off day-two and day-three draft picks.
• We are losing out on cheap rookie contracts.
• We aren't growing our own talent pool: We have a lot of names at the top, but our depth is entirely made up of bargain-bin, one-year free agents (think Eric Kendricks or Dante Fowler types over the years). Because we keep trading away picks, I'm starting to think we aren't drafting enough young players to actually develop. One veteran trade-in effectively deletes 2 to 3 young, homegrown developmental players from our pipeline.

I've always supported the trades because you are acquiring a "known commodity" vs an unknown prospect, but the more I think about it... Are these trades actually worth the long-term cost to our depth, or are we setting ourselves up for a major crash when the bill comes due?

Curious to hear what you guys think.

I'll tell you what the number one problem is. Hiring great coaching. Great coaching can work with newly drafted players, free agents, veterans, it doesn't matter.

Great coaching can get the best out of all of them and we haven't had a great coach since Parcells.

So it doesn't matter who we draft or who we trade for under the Jones family watch, until one of those idiots figure it out, its going to be the same results for the next 30 years.

 

[John813]

I mean it would be nice to aim higher in free agency some years. You may overpay at times, but its not like this team doesn't overpay their own.

But I think the current strategy is fine. Yes draft picks are important but you hope a corner in round 2 becomes as good as JPJ. You hope a DT pans out like QWill in the first.

The trades I dont care for are the rebound guys like Mingo, Lance, Murray etc. Lower picks, but guys who never took that step to show they are a quality nfl player

 

[Loso86]

I’ve been thinking and contemplating about how our front office has built the roster over the last few seasons, and I think we need to talk about a worrying trend.

There’s no denying that the front office has shifted its philosophy. We used to be a pure "draft and develop" team that completely avoided external premium talent.

Recently, we’ve used trades as our version of premium free agency—giving up draft picks to bring in bigger names like Rashan Gary, Quinnen Williams, Joey Porter Jr. and George Pickens, or even veteran depth like Stephon Gilmore and Brandin Cooks a few years back.

Now, don't get me wrong: acquiring elite talent is always good. But I’m starting to worry that this strategy is quietly depleting our long-term foundation.

Here is why this "one person in, multiple future players out" approach might be hurting us more than we think:

• We are bleeding draft capital: To get these top-tier guys, we are constantly shipping off day-two and day-three draft picks.
• We are losing out on cheap rookie contracts.
• We aren't growing our own talent pool: We have a lot of names at the top, but our depth is entirely made up of bargain-bin, one-year free agents (think Eric Kendricks or Dante Fowler types over the years). Because we keep trading away picks, I'm starting to think we aren't drafting enough young players to actually develop. One veteran trade-in effectively deletes 2 to 3 young, homegrown developmental players from our pipeline.

I've always supported the trades because you are acquiring a "known commodity" vs an unknown prospect, but the more I think about it... Are these trades actually worth the long-term cost to our depth, or are we setting ourselves up for a major crash when the bill comes due?

Curious to hear what you guys think.

This post is so contradicting of our fans who year in and out say we cant just grow off the draft but we need to sign more and trade for more players lol.

 

[NDGAEDE]

The biggest problem lately with either trading for talent or only drafting talent is our team is misevaluating talent.

Last year we traded for the likes of Elam and Murray. We hinged our Parsons trade on Kenny Clark, who has been awful. Pickens was a homerun, and I have hopes for Porter. But does anyone think the trades for Gary and Jones will pan out?

Both strategies are failing because the guys in charge of decision making aren't actual GMs and acquire players based on game recognition.

 

[john van brocklin]

I’ve been thinking and contemplating about how our front office has built the roster over the last few seasons, and I think we need to talk about a worrying trend.

There’s no denying that the front office has shifted its philosophy. We used to be a pure "draft and develop" team that completely avoided external premium talent.

Recently, we’ve used trades as our version of premium free agency—giving up draft picks to bring in bigger names like Rashan Gary, Quinnen Williams, Joey Porter Jr. and George Pickens, or even veteran depth like Stephon Gilmore and Brandin Cooks a few years back.

Now, don't get me wrong: acquiring elite talent is always good. But I’m starting to worry that this strategy is quietly depleting our long-term foundation.

Here is why this "one person in, multiple future players out" approach might be hurting us more than we think:

• We are bleeding draft capital: To get these top-tier guys, we are constantly shipping off day-two and day-three draft picks.
• We are losing out on cheap rookie contracts.
• We aren't growing our own talent pool: We have a lot of names at the top, but our depth is entirely made up of bargain-bin, one-year free agents (think Eric Kendricks or Dante Fowler types over the years). Because we keep trading away picks, I'm starting to think we aren't drafting enough young players to actually develop. One veteran trade-in effectively deletes 2 to 3 young, homegrown developmental players from our pipeline.

I've always supported the trades because you are acquiring a "known commodity" vs an unknown prospect, but the more I think about it... Are these trades actually worth the long-term cost to our depth, or are we setting ourselves up for a major crash when the bill comes due?

Curious to hear what you guys think.

Agree with you.
Why not just sign free agents and keep the draft picks?
Now if the trade gets you good talent on a cheaper contract it’s more understandable