The Cleveland Browns will be seeing more of Maxx Crosby next season after he was traded to the Baltimore Ravens.
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The Cleveland Browns will be seeing more of Maxx Crosby next season after he was traded to the Baltimore Ravens.
The AFC North just got even more terrifying for Shedeur Sanders or whoever ends up winning the Cleveland Browns‘ starting quarterback job.
The Las Vegas Raiders agreed to trade five-time Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for the No. 14 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and a 2027 first-round pick, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Friday.
The trade cannot be officially processed until the start of the new league year next week, but the deal is in place.
For the Browns, who are staring down a near-complete offensive line overhaul this offseason, the news could not have come at a worse time.
Maxx Crosby Joins an AFC North Loaded With Elite Pass Rushers
The AFC North was already home to some of the most dominant edge rushers in football. The Browns’ own Myles Garrett broke the NFL’s single-season sack record in 2025 with 23 sacks and won his second Defensive Player of the Year award. Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt — who previously held the sack record Garrett broke — remains one of the most productive pass rushers in league history with 108 career sacks.
Now, Crosby joins the mix. The 28-year-old recorded 10 sacks, 28 tackles for loss and 73 total tackles in 15 games for the Raiders in 2025. He has 69.5 career sacks in seven NFL seasons and has earned five Pro Bowl selections. The Browns will face Crosby twice per season for the foreseeable future, in addition to their existing dates with Watt.
Cleveland entered the offseason needing to replace virtually its entire starting offensive line. Veteran guard Joel Bitonio is weighing retirement after a decorated career. Right guard Wyatt Teller is headed to the open market after posting a farewell message to Browns fans. Center Ethan Pocic is a free agent coming off a ruptured Achilles. Right tackle Jack Conklin and left tackle Cam Robinson are also set to hit the market.
The Browns made their first move on the line earlier this month. Cleveland traded a fifth-round pick to the Houston Texans for veteran tackle Tytus Howard and signed him to a three-year, $63 million extension. Howard offers versatility, having played right tackle, left guard and right guard during his time in Houston. Cleveland will likely lean into the draft — where they have picks No. 6 and 24 overall — as well as free agency to rebuild up front.
Browns Still Sorting Out QB Situation
In addition to the offensive line, Cleveland is still sorting out who will be under center in 2026. Shedeur Sanders finished last season as the starter and went 3-4 in seven starts, showing enough promise to likely earn the first crack at the job. He faced Crosby during his first career start in Las Vegas.
Dillon Gabriel is also under contract for next season. He went 1-5 in six starts. Deshaun Watson is entering the final year of his contract and is expected to compete for the starting job after missing all of last season recovering from Achilles surgery. The Browns are also expected to explore external options.
“Sure, I think it’s an open competition,” Browns coach Todd Monken said at the NFL Combine. “I mean, I don’t why it wouldn’t be an open competition. I don’t mean that saying it harshly, but I don’t think there’s enough on film over the last couple years one way or the other to say, boy, we have our starter at quarterback yet. Whether internally or externally.”