Trent Williams has been given permission to explore the trade market. Here we look at five teams who should be working the phones already.
Trent Williams should be an extremely hot name on the trade market.
ESPN’s Dianna Russini reported on Thursday that the Redskins have given the left tackle permission to seek a trade. Williams missed the entire 2019 season as he sought an exit from the Redskins.
At 31, the seven-time Pro Bowler should still have plenty of football ahead of him. The year off came after he failed to report to the team over their handling of a 2013 medical issue that turned out to be a type of cancer. That sabbatical may have come as a blessing in disguise for one of the best in the game at an extremely demanding position.
Having avoided putting more wear and tear on his body in 2019, Williams can expect to be highly coveted. Here we look at five teams who should explore a trade for him.
Denver Broncos
Former first-rounder Garrett Bolles was a walking penalty at left tackle for the Broncos in 2019.
Denver has a talented young offense, but its ceiling will be capped if the Broncos cannot protect Drew Lock.
The Broncos, per Over The Cap, will enter the new league year with $57 million in cap space. That is ample room to sign Williams to an extension and, with four day-two choices at their disposal in this year’s draft, they have the picks to get a deal done.
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks traded for a left tackle back in 2017 when they struck a deal for Duane Brown.
While the offensive line improved in 2019, it remains an issue for Seattle and the Seahawks have an extremely important asset to protect in Russell Wilson.
It is not easy to move from the left side of the offensive line to right. However, landing a player of Williams’ caliber would be worth Seattle attempting to do that with Brown.
Seattle is set to be $44.6M under the cap in 2020 and holds the 27th pick in the first round plus a pair of second-rounders. If the Seahawks want to swing for the fences in an NFC West stacked with pass-rush talent, they can do it.
Los Angeles Chargers
Having agreed to trade Russell Okung in a deal to land Carolina Panthers guard Trai Turner, the Chargers can immediately land an upgrade on Okung by acquiring Williams.
Whoever starts at quarterback in 2020 will need to receive significantly better protection than Philip Rivers did over his 16-season career with the team.
Turner’s arrival should help but, if the Chargers can strike a deal for Williams, it would be a significant boost to their hopes of having a productive offense next season.
Their second-round (37th overall) pick in this year’s draft would be a strong starting point in negotiations. By filling their most glaring need outside of quarterback, dealing for Williams would provide the Chargers with the flexibility to trade out of the No. 6 pick and acquire more selections.
Los Angeles pursuing that move would, of course, be dependent on the Chargers either signing a quarterback in free agency or deciding they do not value the remaining prospects at the position that highly.
Yet, with $49m in projected cap space, the Chargers have the means to extend Williams and shore up the left side of what has long been a shaky O-Line for years to come.
Miami Dolphins
No team in the entire NFL is better equipped to make a move for Williams than Miami.
The Dolphins’ dismal offensive line was tied for the most sacks allowed in the league in 2019 with 58. Miami has 14 draft picks in 2020 and the highest amount of projected cap space ($88M). The Dolphins could trade for Williams and still have stacks of ammunition with which to rebuild their roster.
If Miami’s grand rebuilding plan is to work, the Dolphins must get substantially better up front. Using a small portion of their plethora of resources to acquire Williams is a no-brainer.
Cleveland Browns
Last year, the buzz was about Williams being dealt to the Cleveland Browns. While the circumstances — and front office personnel — are different, the trade would still be a popular one for Cleveland fans.
After suffering through Greg Robinson in 2019, the Browns and quarterback Baker Mayfield desperately need some left tackle help. Williams would immediately provide a pillar on the line, one the Browns had for a decade prior to last year in Joe Thomas.
Cleveland has ample weapons, but was submarined by poor coaching and a horrific front wall last season. The former has already been rectified, and the latter would be substantially shored up with a trade for Williams.