Whispered Vikings Trade Target Wiggles into Rumor Mill at Last Minute
Safe to say that PurplePTSD has been whispering about this one for a little while. A deal between Cleveland and Minnesota for Greg Newsome II makes a pile of sense.
Indeed, the discussion came up earlier in the week, at least partly due to Minnesota’s ongoing need at cornerback. Does the Vikings trade theory actually get off the ground? Consider the word from Jordan Schultz: “Two #Browns players believed to be available via trade entering the draft, per sources: CB Greg Newsome and DE Ogbo Okoronkwo. Okoronkwo has recorded 7.5 sacks over the past two seasons, while Newsome — a former first-round pick — is entering the final year of his deal.”
Vikings Trade Target: CB Greg Newsome II
Back in February, there was some purple dot connecting going on at PurplePTSD.
A central part of the argument in the piece from February 7th: “Newsome has been in the NFL for four seasons but is still only 24. He stands at 6’1″ and weighs 192 pounds. Most recently, Newsome snagged a 52.2 PFF grade — not great — but his initial three seasons involved putting in grades in the high 60s. Quite possibly, a good buy-low candidate.”
And then a bit of the rationale from the piece on February 18th: “He’s a young, tall corner who is playing for a team that is an absolute mess, needing to shed salary to become cap compliant [the Browns are now cap compliant]. Even better, Adofo-Mensah has connections aplenty with that team and was part of the front office that sunk a 1st into Newsome.”
Without getting too far into the details yet again, consider a bullet-point list for some reasons why Mr. Newsome could make sense in Minnesota:
- He’s still only 24, younger than a player like Mekhi Blackmon despite being in the league longer.
- He is versatile, capable of playing along the outside or in the slot.
- He’s a buy-low candidate given that he’s coming off a year where there’s some evidence that he didn’t play to his usual standards.
- The Vikings could still use some help at corner.
- Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has a good relationship with Cleveland’s front office, making negotiations a bit easier. In fact, the Vikings’ GM was a Browns executive when Newsome got picked.
One more idea: any chance that a previous trade between the Browns and Vikings — the one involving Za’Darius Smith — provides a framework for a Greg Newsome deal? The pass rusher got moved alongside a pair of lesser picks (a 6th & 7th) as Minnesota brought in some more valuable picks (two 5ths).
Could the Vikings keep their pick total the same, just lessening the value of the picks? If so, then a deal is more plausible.
Oh, and don’t forget about Ogbo Okoronkwo.
The 6’2″, 250-pound pass rusher has a bit of a Vikings connection, as well. He was part of the Rams team that won the Super Bowl in 2021. Kevin O’Connell was the offensive coordinator in LA, so there’s a relationship already in place.
Admittedly, snagging the edge rusher doesn’t have the same appeal — he’s 30 — but it’s notable enough when a strong depth player with a coaching connection gets dropped into the rumor mill.
In all likelihood, any trade that could (does?) materialize will do so after the opening round takes place. The Browns, for instance, scooping up corner Travis Hunter at No. 2 could make them more willing to move Greg Newsome (maybe even in a Vikings trade).
Stay tuned.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on social media (@VikingsGazette). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.
