Oakland Raiders: 3 trades that could land the team Odell Beckham Jr.

Trade #3: Trent Brown (OT) & 1st Round Pick (2020) for Odell Beckham Jr. & 4th Round Pick (2020)

There’s been plenty of talk about the deficiencies of the offensive line of the Cleveland Browns this season.

Baker Mayfield, who is revered as some sort of football demigod in the state of Ohio, is on pace to double his sack total from last year.

It’s easily a talking point, especially when he’s been struggling in a season where expectations for the Browns were lofty. While his sack percentage has steadily increased, his QBR has quickly fallen off. This isn’t a coincidence.

And it isn’t a coincidence that the Browns’ 24-year-old stud is getting banged up as a result, either.

Raiders fans should know all about the importance of piecing together a strong offensive line to protect a young quarterback with a lot of promise. We’ve seen, firsthand, how injuries and consistent hits on the quarterback can lead to passiveness.

It seems like a likely conclusion, with this in mind, that the Browns would look to try and strengthen their weak O-Line.

Trent Brown might be the answer to some of their problems.

The 6-foot-8, 380-pound behemoth of a man has been a consistent force on the Raiders line throughout the season. He’s been on the field for the vast majority of snaps this season and he’s kept his nose clean in terms of penalties.

This past offseason, the Oakland Raiders and Brown reached an agreement on a four-year, $66 million contract with $36.75 million guaranteed.

That doesn’t seem like a bad deal for the Raiders — and surely not one that they’re looking to offload, by any means — but it would be a way to move some money in the opposite direction to offset Odell Beckham Jr.’s contract.

It would also allow the Raiders to make the move without taking any sort of hit on dead money, shifting the risk to Beckham, who has less guaranteed money on his deal.

It’s a shorter-term deal than Beckham, but it would take some of the pressure off of Mayfield — both in terms of potential thought-pieces and pass rushing. The Browns would be wise to protect their top asset.

And, of course, a pick swap between one of the Raiders’ first-round draft picks and the Browns’ fourth-round draft pick would help iron out the kinks in this deal.

The Raiders would still maintain a draft pick despite dealing one for a star wide receiver. Raider Nation should have faith in their franchise’s ability to make picks in the middle rounds of the draft count.

The Browns, meanwhile, should do everything in their power to protect their prized slinger.