It’s funny how one deal ends up spawning so many other deals as you go down the rabbit hole. If you pay close attention, you will find that over the course of a few years, transactions Za’Darius Smith A road game against the Lions in the 2024 season helps the Browns get a new offensive tackle Titus Howard From Texans.
hat tip albert brill To outline the entire ordeal, in our own words:
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In November 2024, the Browns traded DE Za’Darius Smith and the Lions’ seventh-round pick. In exchange, Cleveland received fifth-round (2025) and sixth-round (2026) draft picks.
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In March 2025, Cleveland sent QB Dorian Thompson Robinson and traded a 5th round pick to the Eagles in exchange for QB Kenny Pickett.
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August 2025, Cleveland trades QB Kenny Pickett To the Raiders in exchange for a 2026 fifth-round pick.
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Today, Browns used Raiders draft pick to acquire OL Titus Howard From Texans.
This essentially ends the loop, although technically there is still a spawned thread. Sixth-round pick originally acquired from Lions in 2024 was traded along with QB Joe Flaccowent to the Bengals last season in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the upcoming 2026 draft. You can check out the Browns’ updated draft order here .
Dealing with fifth- and sixth-round picks a year or two early seemed irrelevant at the time, but you can see how, rather than looking for late-round picks in the draft, they could be used as leverage to improve the roster and hire a proven veteran player.
