6 players the Vikings should consider trading before the deadline

Trae Waynes – CB

After a solid performance in 2018, Trae Waynes has gotten off to a bit of a rough start to the current season.

Waynes has appeared in all five of the Vikings’ games this year and his work in pass coverage has been average at best. Opposing quarterbacks have a 109.9 rating when targeting receivers covered by Waynes and his coverage is coming up with catches on 79.3 percent of their targets.

For someone who is in the last season of their current contract, one would think that the Minnesota corner would be playing at a high level so he can cash in during free agency in 2020. But with the way he’s performed for the Vikings this year, Waynes’ earning potential seems to be decreasing after each week.

Creeping up behind him on Minnesota’s current depth chart this season too is second-year cornerback Mike Hughes. It’s taken a few games for Hughes to get back to his normal self after tearing his ACL last season, but he looked very impressive against the New York Giants last week.

If Hughes continues to play at a high level during the Vikings’ next few games, Minnesota could look to see what they can get in a trade for Waynes.

With Waynes due to become a free agent in 2020, the Vikings will likely receive a pretty decent compensatory pick for his departure. So Minnesota may not be interested in dealing the young corner before the deadline if they can’t get anything better than a fourth-round draft pick in return.