The Chargers are 0-6, and they're still telling teams no. Khalil Mack isn't available, The Athletic's Jonathan Jones reported Saturday, and Los Angeles "confounded teams by not engaging in trade talks."

That hurts one of the better Browns trade targets on the board. ESPN's top 25 trade candidates listed Cleveland as a fit for Mack, and the price looked friendly: a new team would inherit the prorated part of his $8 million salary, and Jeremy Fowler pegged the cost at about a quality Day 3 pick.

The door may not stay shut

Two of the reporters on it don't expect that answer to last. Jones added, "It's hard to envision that remaining the case over the next 10 days." Tom Pelissero says the Chargers are adamant now, then lays out the turning point: "But if 0-6 becomes 0-8 before the deadline, it's hard to imagine GM Joe Hortiz wouldn't at least listen to offers for the former Defensive Player of the Year."

If that happens, Cleveland will have company. Fowler calls Chicago the natural fit, a return to the team Mack used to play for. And Pelissero sees the Buckner deal, a fourth-round pick, as the floor for Mack, who is 35 on an expiring contract. That's a price worth paying only for a team that's really buying, and Andrew Berry's list already puts an edge rusher first.

The calls Cleveland can make now

Two other names on that ESPN list have Cleveland beside them. Yaya Diaby is the younger bet: 27, a 2027 free agent Tampa Bay isn't poised to pay, with a 35% chance of moving by ESPN's estimate. If he leaves in free agency on a big deal, the team that traded for him could get a compensatory pick back, so the rental comes with a cushion.

Jermaine Johnson II is the other. Tennessee is 1-6, teams call him a toss-up to be traded, and ESPN's fits are just Cleveland and Chicago. He has 16 career sacks in five seasons.

The need is real enough. Verse has none of Cleveland's 20 sacks this season, and the Browns' first-place start gives Berry a reason to shop.

Mack is the name everybody wants. Diaby is the call to make.

Related reading: The Browns Can Win the Trade Deadline Without Making a Trade; Russell Wilson Wants a Browns Receiver Trade. Watson Has One Football; Maliek Collins Gets $30 Million After a Rehab Todd Monken Doubted

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