Could the Vikings Pull Off a Trade Before Camp?
The Minnesota Vikings and the rest of the NFL are on the verge of beginning training camp, meaning the start of the regular season is finally in sight.
Minnesota made a number of big moves this offseason, but there are a couple question marks that still remain regarding the roster. One of those big questions involves the cornerback position, and exactly which players will step up to earn a starting role in the defense.
Before camp begins, though, could the Vikings make a big trade to shake up the room entirely?
Could the Vikings Make a Trade Heading into Training Camp?
Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports believes it’s a possibility.
The analyst recently wrote a piece arguing why it makes sense for Minnesota to take a chance on another former first-round pick by acquiring Greg Newsome from the Cleveland Browns.
“Minnesota spent big to address both trenches this offseason, but the one non-quarterback spot that lacks top-end answers is the secondary, now sans veteran starters like Stephon Gilmore and Camryn Bynum. Forward-thinking general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was in the Browns’ front office when Cleveland spent a first-rounder on Newsome in 2021, and at just 25, the former Northwestern standout has the upside to become a longer-term option for Brian Flores’ defense,” Benjamin wrote.
As Benjamin states, the connection between the Vikings and Newsome is there as Adofo-Mensah helped make the Northwestern product a first-round pick. It came after the cornerback recorded nine passes defended and an interception in six games during 2020.
Newsome’s career has been solid to this point, but he hasn’t exactly blown the doors off through his first four seasons. The cornerback was a consistent starter from 2021-2023, starting 39 of the 41 games he appeared in.
However, that all changed in 2024 when he started just three of his 13 games. Newsome posted a career-low 54.0 PFF grade last season as well, indicating that a change of scenery may be in order.
Newsome has been in trade rumors all offseason, and the Vikings make sense as a landing spot. They have not been afraid of being a location for former highly-touted draft picks to rejuvenate their careers. Sam Darnold did it last year, and now, Minnesota is hoping to accomplish the same thing with Jeff Okudah, a former third overall pick by the Detroit Lions.
Of course, the CB1 job in Minnesota belongs to Byron Murphy, who just signed a new three-year deal with the team following a phenomenal 2024 campaign.
Behind him, though, Minnesota’s CB room has a lot of question marks. Mekhi Blackmon, a 2023 third-round pick, is coming back from a torn ACL that ended the USC product’s season on the first day of training camp last year.
Otherwise, Minnesota is hoping for career-years out of the aforementioned Okudah as well as Isaiah Rodgers, or they will need 2024 UDFA Dwight McGlothern to step up in a major way.
It feels unlikely that the Vikings will pull off a trade at this point in time, though. Minnesota has brought in a group of players to compete for the starting jobs, and they likely want to see these players in action before going out of their way to dish out draft picks for a player in a contract year.
That being said, if the Vikings feel a move is needed when training camp gets going, Newsome would be a logical option.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Focus and Pro Football Reference.
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