Chris Olave #12 of the New Orleans Saints is one of the receivers who could join Shedeur Sanders with the Cleveland Browns.
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Chris Olave #12 of the New Orleans Saints is one of the receivers who could join Shedeur Sanders with the Cleveland Browns.
It’s a brief video, but it says a lot about the mini-dramas that are playing out for a Cleveland Browns team that needs to overhaul just about every position on offense heading into the 2026 season. Quarterback, where Shedeur Sanders is the incumbent, remains the biggest concern (it would not be the Browns if that weren’t the case) but the team is looking to restock its offensive line as well as rebuild its skill positions.
Rookie tight end Harold Fannin is just about the only known commodity going into the upcoming season, with potential star running back Quinshon Judkins also a reliable bet to produce in 2026, though he is recovering from a nasty dislocated ankle suffered in December.
But this week during the NFL draft combine in Indianapolis, it was the Browns’ plans at wide receiver that took center stage, ad the team weighs whether to use one of its first-round picks–it has No. 6 and No. 24–on a new pass-catcher, or whether to bring in a veteran via a trade.
Shedeur Sanders ‘Cool’ With Trades for New WRs
It was reported this week from the combine, by SB Nation’s Dan Mueller, that the Browns have interest in two potential WR1 additions. Mueller reported that GM Andrew Berry will revisit trade-deadline possibilities and Saints, “WR Chris Olave is an example of that and is back on the Browns trade radar.”
He also noted that, “WR Marvin Harrison … is also a player Berry has at least touched base on acquiring to help Cleveland’s issues at the position.”
And on Saturday, a video emerged of Sanders during a meet-and-greet with middle school kids, talking to a teacher, who pointed out that the Browns could get Olave or Harrison.
Said Sanders, “Hey, if they come, that will be cool.”
Sanders pointed to the camera, from the “Studstillviewz” YouTube channel, and had the teacher repeat that the Browns should get Olave or Harrison. “Now they’ll know for sure,” he said.
Browns Badly in Need of Upgrades
It would not take much to upgrade the Browns’ wide-receiver room from 2025, after Jerry Jeudy had an especially poor season, leading the NFL in dropped passes, and No. 2 Cedric Tillman was injured for four games and caught only 21 passes. Altogether, six Browns receivers accounted for 119 catches last season. There were four NFL players who had 119 receptions or more.
Olave himself had 100 catches and 1,163 yards. He is only 25, and heading into the fifth-year option on his contract, with the Saints unsure of whether they can and should pay him a top-of-the-market contract. The Saints are said to be asking for a hefty package in any trade for Olave, and with so many positions of need on hand for the Browns, using assets to bring him in would be a tough pill to swallow.
Harrison Jr., meanwhile, has been something of a bust in two seasons since he was the No. 4 pick in the 2024 NFL draft. He struggled with injuries last season and played in 12 games. In his two NFL seasons, he has totaled 103 catches for 1,493 yards. Again, it will be tough to match up on a trade, because the Browns would view him as a depressed asset as a buyer, while the Cardinals still see him as a No. 4 pick with big upside as a seller.