Should Browns Have Dealt Odell Beckham to Saints for Michael Thomas?

On Wednesday, the day after the NFL trade deadline, news broke about a pair of prominent players who could have been moved but instead stayed put with their respective teams.

First: Michael Thomas of the New Orleans Saints.

Out all season with an ankle injury but designated to return at some point, Thomas revealed he will not be able to play this year because of a setback. “I’ve always been a man of faith and these past few months my faith has truly been tested,” Thomas said. “As many of you know, early last season I injured my ankle and worked extremely hard over the next few months to get back in time to finish the season. Unfortunately, the rehab didn’t go as planned and earlier this offseason it was apparent I would need to have a procedure to repair the injury. Since then, the team and I have worked diligently, day and night to rehab and get me back on the field. Unfortunately, there has been another small setback which we will have to address. To my displeasure, I will not be able to make it back in time for this season but will do everything in my power to get back to the player I have always been. I know God doesn’t make mistakes so I will continue to follow in his path, and can’t wait to be back on the field in front of the best fans on the planet.”

Second: Odell Beckham Jr. of the Cleveland Browns.

An afterthought in Cleveland for much of the season with no touchdowns through Week 8 of the NFL season, Beckham seemed to attempt to force his way out of town with a social media blitz by his father and celeb sports pal LeBron James. But, when Wednesday morning rolled around, Beckham was still in Cleveland, although the Browns did send him home from practice in a decision that was dubbed “team-related.” That decision sure makes it seem like it may be over for Beckham and the Browns may just cut bait with the former star and release him.

The Browns reportedly had talks with the Saints about sending Beckham to New Orleans prior to Tuesday’s deadline. If that was actually the case, they should have done it and asked for Thomas in return even though he wouldn’t be able to help them this season because, at this point, Beckham isn’t going to help either. Heading to New Orleans would have given Beckham a fresh start and given the Saints a playmaker, albeit a diminished one, that coach Sean Payton could surely find a way to use.

When asked about Beckham being excused from practice on Wednesday, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said the team was “discussing a lot of things” with the player and his representation. Too bad it’s too late for one of those things to be a trade with the Saints for Thomas.