The Minnesota Vikings must address several looming roster issues during the 2025 offseason, with cornerback among the most notable. If the Vikings are willing to part with the requisite assets, a trade for Cleveland Browns star Denzel Ward would help.
ESPN’s Benjamin Solak predicted the Browns, in need of assets to fuel their rebuild, would make Ward available
Solak name-dropped the Vikings as a potential landing spot.
“Big prediction for the offseason: With no contending future in sight, I expect the Browns to trade players for picks,” Solak wrote on January 6. “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.”
Ward has recorded at least 2 interceptions in every season of his career, and he is widely regarded as one of the top corners in the NFL.
Ward finished the 2024 season with 49 total tackles, a league-high 19 pass deflections, 2 interceptions, 1 forced fumble, and 1 recovery. He allowed the third-lowest completion percentage among defenders targeted at least 75 times, per Stathead.
The Vikings’ top three cornerbacks – Byron Murphy, Shaquill Griffin, and Stephon Gilmore – are free agents after the season.
Considering how often the Vikings leave their corners on an island, the trade could be wise.
Denzel Ward Not Thinking About Trade From Browns
GettyDenzel Ward #21 of the Cleveland Browns before playing the Los Angeles Chargers.
Ward, the No. 4 overall pick of the 2018 draft, has no plans to leave the Browns. He is in Year 2 of a five-year extension worth $100.5 million. He has also joked about convincing teammate Myles Garrett to stick around after the latter suggested he might want out.
Still, the Browns’ direction could lead Cleveland’s front office to make the 27-year-old defender available in a trade.
Ward would fill a tremendous need for the Vikings.
As good as their defense is, the Vikings allowed the fifth-most passing yards during the regular season. Ward could help what is essentially a bend-but-don’t-break defense bend a little less with stronger coverage than they had this season.
A trade to pair him with a potentially re-signed Murphy and the anticipated return of projected 2024 starter Mekhi Blackmon next season could make the Vikings’ weakness a strength.
Vikings Trade Pitch Lands Denzel Ward
GettyDenzel Ward #21 of the Cleveland Browns and AFC intercepts a pass intended for Amon-Ra St. Brown #14 of the Detroit Lions and NFC during the 2024 NFL Pro Bowl Games.
The Vikings’ 2025 first-round pick will rank no lower than 19th. This Heavy Sports trade proposal would send the Vikings’ first-round pick in the 2025 draft to the Browns for Ward.
Vikings get:
- Denzel Ward
Browns get:
- 2025 first-round pick
The last cornerback who was traded for a first-round pick is Jalen Ramsey.
He went from the Jacksonville Jaguars to the Los Angeles Rams in 2019. Ramsey, who was 25 years old at the time, was traded during the season and a Rams playoff push. Ramsey notably helped the Rams win the Super Bowl following the 2021 regular season, his age-27 campaign.
The now-Miami Dolphins star allowed a completion percentage nearly 12% higher in that season than Ward has this season.
The issue is that the Vikings have three guaranteed draft picks – and one conditional – in 2025.
However, just one of those selections is in the first three rounds of the draft. A trade for Ward would leave the Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah precariously thin on resources to build their roster with a pipeline of young, cost-efficient talent.
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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