The Cleveland Browns are heading into an interesting season after bringing in four new quarterbacks and an exciting draft class to try to smooth over a repugnant 3-14 season, but with months to go until training camp, there is still plenty of time for the remaining questions on the roster to get sorted out.
While all the focus up to this point has been about the quarterback position and whether or not one of the four potential starters will be traded, there is another longtime veteran being linked to trade rumors that might surprise some fans.
In a recent article for Bleacher Report, Brent Sobleski wrote about which veterans around the league could be due for a change of scenery, and he named one stalwart of the Browns’ offensive line.
“Since Cleveland clearly won’t be able to compete for the playoffs this season, general manager Andrew Berry should seriously consider moving [Joel Bitonio] to an actual contender,” Sobleski wrote. “Bitonio has been one of the game’s best guards for nearly a decade. He can solidify an offensive line for a squad ready to make a serious playoff run, which the Browns aren’t. Instead, Cleveland could add another draft asset or two in preparation for next year’s push to acquire a franchise quarterback if one doesn’t materialize this season.”
Bitonio has been the Browns’ starting left guard for 11 years and there has been talk about him entertaining the idea of retiring in recent offseasons. While it would be devastating to lose a guy like him, the reality is that the next great Browns team likely doesn’t include him.
At 33 years old, Bitonio deserves the right to play for a contender, and there haven’t been many contenders that have gone into a season with a 4-man quarterback competition before.
He has one year left on his contract and should be an easy guy to trade if the Browns falter to start the season, which is certainly in play given how difficult the first eight games on the schedule are.
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