The Cleveland Browns are listening to a familiar name in the secondary. Veteran safety and core special-teamer Rayshawn Jenkins has surfaced in trade chatter again, months after a separate report tied him to potential movement out of Seattle. This time it’s the Browns weighing options before the deadline, a reflection of Jenkins’ versatility and week-to-week reliability.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports that the Browns are open to trading Jenkins. The nine-year vet has appeared in every game this season and logged 21 tackles, one interception, one fumble recovery, and one pass defended, and he currently leads the league in total special-teams tackles. The combination makes him an appealing plug-and-play pickup for contenders that need back-end depth plus immediate special-teams production.
On the field, Jenkins profiles as a steady third safety who can handle split-safety looks, rotate down into the box, and survive in matchups against tight ends. He’s also a tone-setter on kick and punt units—lane discipline, dependable tackling, and an ability to finish in space. For Cleveland, that multi-phase value has been a feature, not a footnote, especially while the secondary has churned through injuries and role tweaks.
His market fits are straightforward: teams with playoff aspirations that have had coverage busts or tackling issues at the second level, or clubs recently hit by safety injuries.
Because he doesn’t require a scheme overhaul and contributes on fourth down, he can dress on game day immediately without disrupting packages. The open question is price and whether Cleveland prefers late-round capital or a player-for-player swap that preserves roster balance.
Earlier in the year, Jenkins’ name popped up when Seattle permitted him to explore a trade, underscoring how his profile consistently draws interest. But the Browns’ calculus now is different: they’re managing in-season attrition while preserving flexibility for 2025, which is why listening doesn’t necessarily mean rushing to deal.
Hall of Famer Jared Allen’s recent commentary about Myles Garrett also lingers around any Browns discussion. After another monster individual performance went to waste in a loss, Allen bluntly noted that Garrett chose to re-sign in Cleveland and, with that, accepted the volatility that can come with it. It was a reminder that roster building—and whether to move pieces like Jenkins for future assets-happens against the backdrop of maximizing a star’s prime.
If Cleveland ultimately moves Jenkins, the acquiring team gets a clean, playoff-ready upgrade in two phases. If not, the Browns keep a reliable veteran who helps them win hidden yards every week.
