Browns turned down multiple trades in 1st round of 2026 NFL draft

The Cleveland Browns came out of the 2026 NFL draft smelling like roses; now, the team must put it together on the field. Winning cures all, as HC Todd Monken has said, among a myriad of other things, recently. This year’s draft, like the 2025 NFL draft, started with GM Andrew Berry trading down from near the top of the draft order.

Berry ended up with an extra third and fifth round picks from the Kansas City Chiefs to slide down three spots before selecting OT Spencer Fano with the ninth overall selection.

A new show on ESPN, “The Pick Is In,” included behind-the-scenes footage from the Browns draft war room throughout the night. We learned during the show that the Dallas Cowboys tried to trade up to the ninth pick.

First, Dallas offered a swap of picks 12 and 20 for Cleveland’s picks 9 and 24. Berry dismissed that quickly. Then, Stephen Jones, son of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, offered to add a fifth-round pick, which was also dismissed quickly by the Browns GM. Interestingly, the first offer had been sent over via text to two different front office people, including Berry. With no response, Jones made the phone call to make the two different offers.

From the show, it seemed obvious that Cleveland was not going to make a trade out of the ninth pick without getting blown away by Dallas. The younger Jones seemed to pick up on that, and both sides wished each other well for the rest of the night.

As noted in an article by Jori Epstein, who was in the war room with the team, another NFC team had also called to try to trade up to the ninth pick.

The Cowboys did find a trade-up partner, moving up one spot with the Miami Dolphins by giving up two fifth-round picks. The Browns ended up trading both of the picks they acquired from the Chiefs. The third rounder helped Berry move up for S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, while the fifth round selection was moved to the Seattle Seahawks for a fourth round pick in the 2027 NFL draft.

Do you think Berry should have made the trade with the Cowboys or at least tried to negotiate a bigger deal on draft night?