The 2016 first-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings has been a massive disappointment and a recent report says the team is looking to move on via trade.
When the Minnesota Vikings selected wide receiver Laquon Treadwell in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft, they thought they were getting a player who would help ignite their passing game.
Three years later, that vision has failed to pan out as Treadwell finds currently himself competing for a spot on the roster.
As the Vikings continue to make their way through the preseason and evaluate what could be their Week 1 roster, it appears that Treadwell may not be a part of it. According to a recent report by Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, Minnesota actively shopping the young receiver and they may look to get a trade done before the end of the preseason.
Treadwell’s three-year stay in the Twin Cities hasn’t exactly gone to plan as the Ole Miss product has collected a total of just 56 catches for 517 yards and one touchdown, including 35 catches for 302 yards and one score in 2018.
Those numbers are a massive disappointment and they add fuel to the fire that the Vikings could have potentially selected Michael Thomas instead, who went 24 picks later in the 2016 draft to the New Orleans Saints.
With Adam Thielen passing him a long time ago on the depth chart and Chad Beebe and Jordan Taylor making waves in this year’s training camp, Treadwell is expendable and Minnesota could look to get a late-round pick in return.
But what team would want a wide receiver who recorded the 12th-highest drop rate (12.5 percent) in the NFL last season according to Pro Football Focus?
Either way, if the Vikings do not want Treadwell on their roster this year, a trade would be the way to go as the team would create $1.8 million in cap space if they can make a deal as opposed to just $654,770 if they cut him according to Spotrac.
The NFL is a strange beast, however, if a team feels like they can fix the broken receiver, Minnesota would be best advised to get out of Treadwell’s shadow as soon as possible.