Packers Named as Potential Trade Suitor for Big Secondary Upgrade

The Green Bay Packers season is over after a disappointing loss to the Eagles on Sunday. The 22-10 defeat made it obvious that the Packers still have a ton of work to do to become a true Super Bowl contender.

Even though the Packers have one of the deepest and most talented rosters in the league, it still has some weaknesses. Considering how difficult of a division the NFC North is, the Packers need to be much better to clinch a higher playoff seed next season to avoid an early exit.

One of those areas of weakness is the secondary. Jaire Alexander was nowhere to be seen down the stretch as he missed most of the season once again. The Packers had to rely entirely on Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine as their cornerbacks. Even though they held their own throughout the regular season, they had a rough game against the Eagles, with Nixon receiving a 57.4 and Valentine getting a 38.5 defensive grade on PFF.

That is why ESPN has predicted a potential major cornerback trade for the Packers in the offseason. Benjamin Solak of ESPN identified Browns defender Denzel Ward as a potential trade target for the Packers, suggesting that Green Bay could be willing to trade a first-round pick for the four-time Pro Bowler.

"For my money, I expect a young, rising team to put a first-round pick on the table for Ward (Packers? Vikings?) and give the Browns the draft capital they need to aggressively rebuild."

- Benjamin Solak, ESPN

Ward just finished his seventh season in Cleveland and his third since signing a five-year, $100.5 million extension in the 2022 offseason that made him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history. Since then, Ward made back-to-back Pro Bowls, further cementing his status as one of the best backfield defenders in the league.

In 16 games in 2024, Ward allowed a 53.5% completion rate and an 86.3 passer rating when targeted. He had a career-high 17 pass breakups to go with two interceptions. At the same time, he had a whopping career-worst 19.7% missed tackle rate.

That mixed-bag of a performance could be overlooked because he was with a disastrous Browns team. A fresh start could do wonders for Ward but whether he would be worth a first-round pick before his age-28 season is a fascinating question.

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