Could we see the Denver Broncos try and strike up a trade with the Minnesota Vikings at some point in the next couple of months?
As Denver Broncos training camp approaches, rosters around the league will continue to be shuffled and tweaked.
We’ve already seen in recent days a couple of trades go down with the Carolina Panthers bringing in quarterback Baker Mayfield and the Chicago Bears bringing in wide receiver N’Keal Harry.
Trades can go down at any point between now and the start of the regular season, and there should be a flurry of activity for the Denver Broncos between now and then.
Not only could the Denver Broncos use some upgrades on their current roster, but they also need to add more to their 2023 NFL Draft capital.
Although the Minnesota Vikings have a new front office, George Paton has a relationship with new GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and could strike up a deal with his former team, even with new people in charge.
Here are three options for trades we could see go down between the Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings.
Denver Broncos-Minnesota Vikings trade option no. 3: Malik Reed to the Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings brought a little Denver Broncos flavor to the midwest when they hired Ed Donatell as their new defensive coordinator.
Donatell has obviously held the title of defensive coordinator with the Denver Broncos over the last handful of seasons, although that role really belonged to Vic Fangio.
Still, Donatell was hands-on with the defense, and one of the players he saw the development of from the ground up was Malik Reed.
Reed has been a starter for the Denver Broncos over the last couple of seasons due to injuries suffered by Von Miller and Bradley Chubb.
Heading into the 2022 NFL season, Reed’s placement on this Denver Broncos roster is a bit up in the air.
The Vikings brought in free agent Za’Darius Smith this offseason, who is coming off of injury, and they also have Danielle Hunter in the starting lineup.
Although there are some promising young players on the roster including DJ Wonnum, who had eight sacks and 15 tackles for loss last season, the Vikings and specifically Ed Donatell might have interest in having a player like Reed as an experienced option to rotate into the lineup and have on hand in case of injury.
Denver Broncos-Minnesota Vikings trade no. 2: Eric Kendricks to Denver
If we’ve said it once this offseason, we’ve said it at least a dozen times: The biggest question mark on the Denver Broncos’ roster as of right now is at the linebacker position.
Now, there’s a belief that this position could be in good hands if Josey Jewell and Jonas Griffith can stay healthy for most of the year.
The Broncos suffered a seemingly abnormal number of injuries at linebacker last season and had what feels like a hundred different starters until the end of the year when it was mostly Jonas Griffith and Baron Browning.
Now, Browning has moved to the edge.
Griffith looks like the odds-on favorite to start next to Josey Jewell, but he’s a young player whose growth and ability to be a mainstay in the staring lineup is still very much up in the air.
The Broncos brought in Alex Singleton in free agency, but he would be best served in a reserve role as well as playing special teams.
The linebacker position behind those three players is a major question mark with guys that might be better practice squad candidates than regular season contributors at this point.
That’s where a trade for someone like Eric Kendricks could come into play.
The Vikings might be motivated to not only get Kendricks’ contract off the books but also to pave the way for their younger players like Brian Asamoah or Chazz Surratt to get more snaps next to free agent acquisition Jordan Hicks.
Denver Broncos-Minnesota Vikings trade no. 1: Cam Dantzler to Denver
As we head into training camp, I think the Denver Broncos have plenty of intriguing players to watch at the cornerback position.
Unfortunately, not all of them are battle-tested. That’s not exactly a requirement when it comes to assembling a cornerback group, but how many years now have we seen the Denver Broncos cycle through almost the entire depth chart at the position?
The Minnesota Vikings know the value of a good secondary as well, and new general manager Kwesi-Adofo Mensah has made that an absolute priority in his first year on the job, using his top two picks on the secondary and investing there in free agency as well.
Dantzler is now going to be in a battle for a starting job with Andrew Booth Jr. which doesn’t necessarily mean he’s going to be on the trade block, but it can’t hurt to ask.
Dantzler was a third-round pick in George Paton’s final draft with the Vikings in 2020, and it stands to reason that he might still like him as a prospect quite a bit.
But would the Broncos actually be motivated to make a deal like this? Why not?
The primary area in the secondary where the Denver Broncos need some proven depth right now is on the outside.
Imagine, for a moment, if one of Pat Surtain II or Ronald Darby goes down with an injury. Michael Ojemudia would be first in line to replace them but additional depth is needed.
If the Vikings’ new regime decides they are set in the secondary even without Dantzler in the fold, they could get something of value from the Broncos perhaps in a player-for-player kind of deal.
The Broncos have plenty of depth at safety, off the edge, at receiver, and even at tight end that the Vikings could have interest in. Perhaps on the offensive line as well.
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Given George Paton’s history in Minnesota, anyone that the Vikings drafted while he was in the front office there is an intriguing possibility as we look forward to potential trades to upgrade this Denver Broncos roster.