It’s funny how one trade can eventually spawn so many other deals, when you follow the rabbit hole. If you follow it closely, you can see that, over a span of a couple years, trading Za’Darius Smith away during the 2024 season to the Lions helped lead to the Browns acquiring new offensive tackle Tytus Howard from the Texans.
That mostly closes the loop, although technically, there is still a spinoff thread that remains. That 6th round pick originally acquired from the Lions in 2024 was traded, along with QB Joe Flacco, to the Bengals last season in exchange for a 5th round pick in the upcoming 2026 draft. You can see the Browns’ updated draft order here.
Dealing for 5th and 6th round picks a year or two in advance often seems inconsequential at the time, but you can see how instead of finding a late-round flier in the draft, they can be used as a chip to improve the roster with a proven, veteran player.