Could the Minnesota Vikings decide to cut their losses and trade former first-round pick Mike Hughes before the deadline?
Big things were expected of Mike Hughes heading into the 2020 season. The Minnesota Vikings cornerback was the No. 1 option before competitive action got underway, but injury problems have reared their ugly head once again during a frustrating start to the campaign.
This was the last thing that the team needed. They were counting on Hughes to deliver the goods after parting ways with Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes, and Mackensie Alexander in free agency. But his inability to stay healthy is something that is becoming more of a concern with every passing year.
There comes a time when the Vikings need to consider their options with Hughes. While his talent is there for all to see when he is firing on all cylinders, the former first-round pick has been available for just 22 of 36 regular-season games since entering the NFL, seven of which he has started.
Minnesota is between a rock and a hard place when it comes to Hughes. They did make a contingency plan in this area of the field by drafting Jeff Gladney and Cameron Dantzler, but putting too much on their shoulders early on is coming with its fair share of complications.
The Vikings might also look at exploring trade options for Hughes and strike while the iron is hot. There are teams across the NFL that might be willing to make a deal if the price is right and this would give the organization something in return for a player that hasn’t lived up to his billing so far.
Let’s take a look at four possible trade destinations for Hughes is the Vikings decide to go down this particular route.
New England Patriots
Mike Hughes is the type of player that the New England Patriots love to take a chance on. He is talented and a little down on his luck, which is something that Bill Belichick has had a tremendous amount of success with over the years.
Putting Hughes on the Patriots would allow him to blend into the lineup gradually thanks to the presence of Stephon Gilmore and Jason McCourty. He is well suited to playing in the slot and this is an area that New England could use some assistance if their early-season efforts are any indication.
This is not the best type of scenario for the Minnesota Vikings given the Patriots’ resolve for getting players into their organization by giving up very little in return. Hughes is still young enough to put his recent injury woes behind him, even though the player might be running out of chances with Mike Zimmer’s men.
It’s hard to envisage the Vikings getting anything more than a third-round pick for Hughes given the amount of time he has missed since coming out of Central Florida. This would represent the best possible situation for him to walk into and it appears to be a good scheme fit from the outside looking in.
Carolina Panthers
It has been a surprising start to the season for the Carolina Panthers. They came in as a relative afterthought in terms of anything like a winning record, but new head coach Matt Rhule has galvanized his new-look roster in a short space of time.
The likes of Donte Jackson and Rasul Douglas have performed extremely well at the cornerback spot through the first four weeks of the season. However, they could still use another capable body given the injury problems surrounding Eli Apple and the time it’s going to take for fourth-round pick Troy Pride Jr. to develop into a starting NFL player.
Adding someone like Mike Hughes might be something general manager Marty Hurney considers, especially if the Panthers can continue their winning streak at the Atlanta Falcons this Sunday. The Minnesota Vikings could probably get the pick they are looking for from a team whose aspirations look far brighter now than they did at any stage of the preseason. But whether or not Carolina wants to take a chance on someone who cannot seem to stay healthy is another matter entirely.
That is the problem the Vikings are going to have when it comes to Hughes. The talent surrounding the player isn’t the problem, it’s convincing interested parties that the gamble on his unpredictable fitness is worth the investment.
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks might have an unbeaten record, but their ability to stop opposing passing attacks from gaining considerable yardage has been a glaring weakness through Week 4. This is an area they will need to sure up in order to make a Super Bowl run and someone like Mike Hughes could definitely help if healthy.
Pete Carroll’s side is ranked dead-last in passing yards allowed per game. This might be down to the fact that teams going up against them are changing the game more often than not. But if the Seahawks want to cope with the likes fo the Green Bay Packers or even the Kansas City Chiefs, then more might be needed to make this possible.
Shaquil Griffin and Quinton Dunbar have more talent than they are showing. The Seahawks will also get better in their secondary once stud safety Jamal Adams returns to the field and the organization might not wish to part with another draft pick after what they gave up to land the safety from the New York Jets.
If this concerning trend continues going forward, then it has the potential to significantly hamper their hopes of lifting the Vince Lombardi Trophy once again. The Minnesota Vikings will be all-too-aware of this and might want the best possible price if Seattle makes a call regarding Hughes’ availability.
Dallas Cowboys
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what is wrong with the Dallas Cowboys. Their defense is killing them everywhere you look and that it not been for a severe error in judgment from the Atlanta Falcons on special teams, they would be 0-4 without question.
Their suspect cornerback group has been a real disappointment. Jourdan Lewis hasn’t reached his billing so far and rookie Trevon Diggs has also been exposed on occasions, which is to be expected of most first-year-pros operating at the corner position.
Mike Hughes would arguably represent an upgrade on what the Cowboys currently have to work with. They need to do something drastic to save their season and a bombshell move like this is not out of the realms of possibility.
The Minnesota Vikings might decide to keep Hughes and see how he gets on once he makes his return to the lineup. But he might already be past the point of no return.
However, the last thing Mike Zimmer wants to see is another corner going on to have a new lease of life elsewhere, so if the Cowboys did want to show some interest in Hughes, then the price might be a little too steep despite the obvious desperation in Dallas.