ESPN Floats Sweet Trade Theory for Vikings
Believe it or not, this one doesn’t involve Sam Darnold or J.J. McCarthy.
ESPN Floats Sweet Trade Theory for Vikings
It’s Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward who could be the object of Minnesota’s offseason trade desire, according to ESPN.
The sports media giant published an article this week predicting and forecasting the offseason for all non-playoff teams, and when ESPN’s Benjamin Solak arrived at the Browns’ section, he theorized a Ward trade to Minnesota or Green Bay.
“Big prediction for the offseason: With no contending future in sight, I expect the Browns to trade players for picks. Both cornerbacks Denzel Ward (who had an excellent season) and Greg Newsome II (who had an uncharacteristically shaky season) should be made available, and one will be dealt. For my money, I expect a young, rising team to put a first-round pick on the table for Ward (Packers? Vikings?) and give the Browns the draft capital they need to aggressively rebuild,” Solak explained.
The Vikings will select late in Round 1 of April’s draft, and with any optimistic luck, somewhere in the 30s. Sending a late 1st-Round pick to Cleveland for a guaranteed commodity in Ward would be pretty fantastic and universally embraced by the team’s fanbase.
Here’s Ward’s Pro Football Focus resume to date:
- 2024: 68.4
- 2023: 69.6
- 2022: 56.8
- 2021: 76.9
- 2020: 72.8
- 2019: 69.9
- 2018: 78.9
Ward is a four-time Pro Bowler and would instantly upgrade Minnesota’s cornerback situation. He’ll turn 28 in April.
Why is cornerback a need for the Vikings, and why would the club sell a precious 1st-Rounder for a defender in his late 20s? It’s quite simple, actually. Minnesota has had zero luck in drafting cornerbacks since Trae Waynes and Xavier Rhodes — a decade ago — and the draft is a crapshoot. What’s more, when the 2025 offseason rolls around, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has only a few CBs under contract: Mekhi Blackmon, Dwight McGlothern, and NaJee Thompson.
No matter what, with or without a Ward trade, the Vikings will need cornerbacks from free agency or the draft. Of course, re-signing Pro Bowler Byron Murphy, whose contract expires in mere weeks, will help ease the pain. But even with perhaps retaining Murphy, Minnesota still requires cornerback assistance.
Ward can be that.
Minnesota’s defense ranks second in the NFL this season per EPA/Play, so Ward would enter a dazzling situation.
Adofo-Mensah worked in Cleveland as an executive with Ward on the roster in 2020 and 2021.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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