Bleacher Report Publishes Sweet Trade Idea for Vikings

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The Minnesota Vikings own the 24th overall pick in April’s draft and probably need to spend it on a cornerback, interior defensive lineman, or interior offensive lineman.

Vikings Trades: Bleacher Report Recommends Trading 1st-Round Pick

But according to Bleacher Report, the purple team should trade the pick to the Cleveland Browns for veteran cornerback Denzel Ward.

Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward (21) reacts to a third down stop during the first quarter of an NFL football matchup Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Browns defeated the Jaguars 18-13. © Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.

“Ward has long been one of the NFL’s better players at a premium position. He’s headed to his fourth Pro Bowl and is in the prime of the career,” BR’s Gary Davenport recommended last week. “But if Minnesota offers the 24th overall pick for Ward, Cleveland should pull the trigger. It would be a truly ‘all-in’ move for the Vikings, who are already short on draft picks this year. But with $57.9 million in cap space, the Vikings could make this splash trade and still have enough money to bring back Sam Darnold.”

The Vikings have two playable cornerbacks attached to the 2025 roster at the moment: Mekhi Blackmon and Dwight McGlothern. Above all else, Minnesota will need cornerbacks in the next couple of months. The team could re-sign Pro Bowler Byron Murphy before he hits free agency in five weeks, but even then, it will probably need more cornerback beef.

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“Calling pass defense the Vikings’ biggest weakness this season doesn’t do it justice. They were 28th in the NFL during the regular season and got shredded by the Rams in a playoff loss. Ward would be a massive upgrade at their most vulnerable position. He’d all but surely a more impactful player in the short-term than that 24th pick,” Davenport added.

The same theory — Ward to Minnesota — was also published by ESPN a month ago. Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah worked for the Browns three years ago before his promotion in Minnesota. He has ties to Cleveland, making the would-be deal more achievable.

Vikings Trades
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Davenport concluded, “If the Vikings believe that Darnold and last year’s 14-3 record were not a fluke, getting aggressive this offseason makes sense. The Lions aren’t going anywhere. Not for a while.”

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.

Vikings
Minnesota Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah addressed the media about the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft from the TCO Performance Center. The Vikings have long-term draft needs at quarterback, cornerback, and interior offensive line.

Why would Minnesota 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. 

Grabbing Ward and averting the risk of another cornerback miss in the draft might be the best bet. Bleacher Report and ESPN think so.


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.