Cleveland Browns NFL Trade Rumors: Several Teams Interested in Isaiah Crowell
The first week of free agency has been quite eventful so far. Unfortunately, the market for running backs this offseason is practically nonexistent. A lot of veterans like Adrian Peterson, Latavius Murray and Jamaal Charles are still available, but several teams are reportedly eyeing a restricted free agent running back.
According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, at least three teams are interested in Isaiah Crowell. Well, that's certainly surprising. Crowell is a solid player and he actually had the best season of his career last year with the Cleveland Browns. But it should be noted that the Browns have placed a second-round free agency tender on Crowell. With so many unrestricted free agents available on the market, do teams really want to give up a second-round pick for the running back?
"If another team signs Crowell to an offer sheet and if the Browns choose not to match it, they'd get a second-round pick as compensation. That seems to be a lot to give up for a running back, however. Any team interested in Crowell at that level should just draft a running back in round two; they'd then have the player at a reasonable rate for four years," ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio said in his report.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
That's a good point. A lot of high-upside running backs should still be available in the second round of the draft. The Browns do have the cap space to match any offer he receives, but many have speculated that they will let him leave to get a second-round pick. Of course, the Browns can also trade Crowell once he signs the tender, so that's another option.
Crowell was signed by the Browns after he went undrafted in the 2014 National Football League (NFL) draft. Last season, he started all 16 games for the team and he posted career-best numbers in rushing yards (952), yards per carry (4.8), carries (198), receiving yards (319) and receptions (40). He also had seven touchdowns.
