Trae Waynes could be a trade target for Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs are in the right kind of position to perhaps work out a deal with the Minnesota Vikings for cornerback Trae Waynes.

The Kansas City Chiefs have already made it known that the secondary needs significant work. While the team has already signed free agents in safety Tyrann Mathieu and cornerback Bashaud Breeland, word has also circulated that the Chiefs have also brought in others who could have potentially joined the team as imports.

The Chiefs have hosted Ronald Darby and Darqueze Dennard and were expected to host Jason Verrett until he signed early with the San Francisco 49ers. At safety, Earl Thomas said he expected to go to K.C. until he was blown away by an offer from the Baltimore Ravens. That means the Chiefs are likely in the market for at least one more veteran defensive back.

If the Chiefs are still interested in adding another cornerback to the mix outside of the NFL Draft in late April, they could do well to look north for a trade. One name that makes sense given the likely cost and ability to wiggle him free from his current roster is Minnesota Vikings cornerback Trae Waynes.

The #Vikings have received calls from teams interested in trading for former first-round CB Trae Waynes, sources say. His fifth-year option just became fully guaranteed, so Minnesota won’t cut him. But there is interest.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 13, 2019

The very idea of Rapoport getting a leak like that means that Minnesota is likely wanting to let potential suitors know to ready their offers for the sake of comparison. It does not mean that Waynes is on the move. It’s a test balloon, a way of weighing interest in case the Vikings were interested in the offered amount more than Waynes’ value to the roster.

THE VIKES’ SIDE

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Waynes is a former first round pick who has performed well enough in the past for a team like the Chiefs (and others) to come calling. He’s also not performed to the level that the Vikings are likely to pay him and Xavier Rhodes big-time cornerback money. Rhodes is already in the middle of a long-term extension, which creates a problem as Waynes enters the last year of his rookie contract.

For the Vikings, it looks as if they have a bounty at cornerback—at least on paper. They’ve got yet another first round pick in Mike Hughes from 2018 on the roster along with former second round pick Mackensie Alexander, and a nice young prospect named Holton Hill among last year’s undrafted free agents.

If that sounds like too many cooks in the kitchen, it could be. Unfortunately Hughes is coming off off a lost rookie year due to injury, and Rhodes struggled mightily one year after looking like one of the NFL’s top 3 or 5 corners. The Vikings would be reducing their margins in the secondary considerably if they moved one of their assumed starters.

Then again, that’s the name of the game in the NFL with roster limits and the salary cap. If the Vikings were to trade Waynes, it would clear more than $9 million in cap space for the team and allow them to address other concerns: likely the offensive line. That’s a roster spot the Vikings would love to have any sort of margin.

For a team as loaded in other areas as Minnesota, the entire offensive line, sans right tackle Brian O’Neill, could be upgraded. Any real Vikings fan will tell you the entire interior needs to be outright replaced. Pat Elflein was the lowest graded center in the NFL (although there’s reason to hope he’ll be much better in 2019 after missing the preseason and beginning of the year due to injury). The guards also need replaced, especially Mike Remmers. It might not all be done in a single offseason, but that doesn’t mean Rick Spielman shouldn’t try.

If the Vikings are smart, they’ll do what it takes to land Cody Ford for Plan A or Dalton Risner for Plan B in the draft and give themselves a high-quality, versatile performer along the front who can help stop the bleeding. From there, however, a trade with the Chiefs might make all kinds of sense to give them draft capital or even another starting option.

THE CHIEFS’ SIDE

If this were a standardized test, we’d be given some analogy that says “The Vikings offensive line is to the Chiefs cornerbacks as…” In other words, the Chiefs can match the Vikings misery at a particular position because they likely feel the same about the secondary.

Fortunately the Chiefs have at least made efforts to upgrade the position and are a bit better off than they were a few months ago. Free agent visits from Ronald Darby and Darqueze Dennard didn’t yield any fruit, but the Chiefs did import at least one newcomer in Bashaud Breeland on a one-year deal.

That’s good news because the cornerback spot barely had enough bodies to even play a single subpackage before Breeland landed on the roster. Orlando Scandrick hit free agency, and Steven Nelson found a new home with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Suddenly Kendall Fuller was CB1 when the best way to feature his considerable talents are in the slot, while only two others present are both best placed in a box labeled “hopeful” more than “reliable.”

It’d be nice if Tremon Smith and Charvarius Ward both turned into excellent NFL starting cornerbacks, but the Chiefs, who have Super Bowl aspirations, need to bolster the position with dependable talent and more competition. The upcoming draft will likely include at least one new addition, but another veteran is sorely needed, especially considering the rigors of the regular season and the toll it takes on the depth chart.

Waynes, then, becomes a nice trade option. The former first round pick will be in a contract year, so any team trading for him is likely to receive a motivated player hopeful to make significant money next spring. With a first round pedigree, the ceiling is clearly there for Waynes to excel if given the chance and the Chiefs would certainly provide every opportunity to shine on a team in primetime as much as any other franchise.

It would be welcome news for Waynes as well, who has performed much better in man coverage, per Pro Football Focus, than zone schemes.

Waynes in Man Coverage:

68.0 passer rating allowed
55.6% catch rate allowed
70.5 PFF rating

Waynes in Zone Coverage:

97.8 passer rating allowed (nearly 30 point jump)
63.6% catch rate allowed
53.7 PFF rating

The Chiefs have brought in a new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo who relies heavily on man coverage from his corners and even leans upon corners over safeties when it comes to obvious run plays. That’s a good thing for Waynes, because he actually excels in defending the run as a corner. Again, per PFF, Waynes graded as a top 10 cornerback against the run in 2018 and often played in the box—even as many as 12 snaps in a single game against the Detroit Lions in Week 16.

The addition of Waynes would allow the Chiefs to employ him and Breeland on the boundaries while shifting Fuller back to the middle where he belongs. It also keeps Tyrann Mathieu from having to supplement a weak position, and he can remain a versatile weapon who primarily plays as a box safety.

From here, the Chiefs could enter the NFL Draft without needing to reach for a single position at any point. Waynes’ short-term contract certainly emphasizes cornerback but it’s not like dragging a bloody carcass into the draft hoping someone can apply the bandages.

TRADE COMPENSATION

At this point, the only trade compensation being discussed on the Vikings side comes from the NFL Draft. Waynes’ standing as a former first round pick is likely going to have fans thinking his stock is higher than it really is. The reality is that he’s a one-year rental of a starting cornerback. He’s most certainly not a bust, yet it must also be acknowledged that he’s not lived up to his draft status.

When it comes to potential draft assets, even pro-Vikings ideas hover around the draft’s mid-section. Andrew Krammer, beat writer for the Star-Tribune, says a third-round pick is a likely cost for a team trading for Waynes. Mark Chichester of Pro Football Focus agrees on a “mid-round draft pick” as expected compensation for Waynes in a deal.

For the Chiefs, that means the pick at No. 92 overall could go to the Vikings in exchange for Waynes. That would leave them with three picks in the first 60-ish picks and also give them that one-year salve at the position as they prepare for another Super Bowl run.

For the Vikings, that’s likely a round or two higher than any compensatory pick they might get from letting Waynes walk in free agency in 2020. It would also be a reward that comes two years earlier, since Waynes’ compensatory pick wouldn’t come through until the 2021 NFL Draft. If the Vikings want to take the long play, perhaps they keep Waynes, know their secondary is solid, and let the line sort itself out. But if they want assets to use this year on repairing a rough offensive front, it could be the way to go.

There is, however, another option here: Cameron Erving or Andrew Wylie. It’s rare to find the player-for-player swap that works well for both sides in the NFL, but this might just be it. The Chiefs have two starting guards already in Cameron Erving and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, but given that LDT was out due to injury for most of the year, Wylie stepped in and looked strong. In fact, he earned the team’s Mack Lee Hill award for the best rookie in 2018.

Both Erving and Wylie took some time to find their footing in the league, but both have performed admirably with the Chiefs. Perhaps Erving is preparing to take over at center for the loss of Mitch Morse and the Chiefs need all three, but it’s also possible that the Chiefs are going to have to sit one of these guys who have proven to be capable of starting in the NFL.

Erving is signed for the next two seasons at very acceptable cap hits of $3.16M and $4.68M. Wylie is even better with a $570K cap hit this year before becoming an exclusive rights free agent (which basically means he will stick with whatever team employs him for a modest raise, assuming the team wants to retain him). Either way, it’s a nice cheap option for an ascending player at a point of need.

Wylie or Erving for Waynes? One need filled for another? Whether it’s draft compensation or a young lineman, there’s enough of a fit here that something could be worked out.

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