Winslow was quietly dangled before trade deadline

In the days and hours leading up to last Tuesday’s trade deadline, players such as tight end Tony Gonzalez and wide receiver Roy Williams constantly were tracked.

The one player who went overlooked publicly, but not privately, was Cleveland tight end Kellen Winslow, who was dangled before the deadline.

The Browns explored the possibility of trading Winslow, according to multiple league sources, but never could get enough in return to consummate a deal. Cleveland declined to comment on the proposed trade –- Browns general manager Phil Savage emailed Tuesday that “a number of calls are made ahead of the trade deadline regarding different players … those conversations are confidential in nature” -– but it is easy enough to figure out why Cleveland would have considered dealing Winslow.

For starters, he is seeking a new contract that could be difficult for the Browns to squeeze under their salary cap. Also, Cleveland traded its third-round pick in the 2009 draft for a fourth-round pick in this year’s draft, which it used on tight end Martin Rucker -– and now is looking to add more picks. Plus, there is the public dispute the team has gotten into with Winslow over his staph infection.

So it’s not overly surprising that the Browns explored a deal. It’s just surprising that they were able to keep it so quiet.

(nfl.com)