A Packers-Browns trade for Jordan Love insurance Cleveland is ignoring

There's no way to sugarcoat how ugly it feels like it could get for the Green Bay Packers with Jordan Love sidelined for more than a month after suffering an MCL injury in the team's season-opening loss to the Eagles down in Brazil. While the team acquired backup Malik Willis in a pre-cutdown trade with the Titans, what we've seen from Willis in his limited opportunities as an NFL quarterback have not been favorable to the Liberty product.

Willis simply has looked as if the game moves too fast for him. His inclination remains to take off and run rather than create space with his legs and push the ball downfield. And the effectiveness has been almost non-existent, or at least it was with Tennessee.

Maybe that changes on a better roster like the Packers but, then again, that is no guarantee. Subsequently, it still feels like Green Bay would be wise to explore outside options big and small. So when they look at the Cleveland Browns, a team that is insisting on sticking with much (and rightfully) maligned signal-caller Deshaun Watson with a deep QB room behind him, that should be an avenue Packer GM Brian Gutekunst explores.

And by explores, we of course mean he should be looking at a trade such as this proposal that would bring Jameis Winston to Green Bay.

A Packers-Browns trade that sends Jameis Winston to Green Bay

Winston, at this point in his career, is basically in QB purgatory -- probably too good to be a backup but still a bit too erratic to be a locked-in starter. That, however, could make him the perfect stopgap for the Packers while Love is on the shelf.

Winston, aside from some void money that stretches out the next few years, is ostensibly on a one-year deal with the Browns. Given their investment in Watson, Cleveland isn't turning over the keys of the offense to Winston or anyone else, even with how badly that might turn out from them based on what we saw in Week 1. Thus, getting a pair of fifth-round picks in exchange for Winston and a late-rounder makes all the sense in the world for them.

For the Packers side of the equation, this should be a no-brainer from the jump. Winston is the perfect quarterback to step into the building, pick up a vanilla offense and keep the ship afloat. He offers the upside to keep Green Bay competitive enough that the bottom doesn't fall out but also won't start any quarterback controversy once Love is healthy again -- and provides insurance for the rest of the season as well.

One could argue that the Packers should've taken the backup quarterback job a bit more seriously to begin with in the offseason because anyone with eyes and NFL knowledge could see that Willis is anything but a sure option. End of the day, however, that's the bed they made but this trade for Winston would be a way to at least fluff the pillows on that bed while Love is out of action.