Broncos looking to trade for Redskins’ Su’a Cravens
By John Buhler
Though he didn’t play at all in 2017, the Denver Broncos have interest in trading for Washington Redskins safety Su’a Cravens. Will Cravens play for Denver?
The Denver Broncos need to make some serious headway entering 2018. They had a disastrous 5-11 season the year prior. Denver may have the No. 5 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, but general manager John Elway must find a way to reload on the fly. One player his team might be interested in is Washington Redskins safety Su’a Cravens.
According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network,” the Broncos are in trade talks for Redskins [safety] Su’a Cravens…They are the team most interested and the likely landing spot for the former 2nd rounder.”
Washington used its No. 53 overall selection in the 2016 NFL Draft to pick Cravens out of USC. He did not play at all in 2017, as he contemplated retirement. Redskins team president Bruce Allen had Cravens placed on the NFL’s Exempt List shortly before the start of the 2017 NFL season. Cravens was slated to be the Redskins’ starting safety his second year in the league.
The #Broncos are in talks to trade for #Redskins S Su’a Cravens, sources say. They are the team most interested and the likely landing spot for the talented former 2nd rounder, though no deal is done yet.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 28, 2018
While Washington has hovered around .500 for the last few years, things went back to chaotic for the NFC East franchise in 2017. Double franchise tagged quarterback Kirk Cousins lost his two best receivers in DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon in free agency. Let’s just say Terrelle Pryor didn’t do a great job of replacing either. Washington went 7-9 in a forgettable 2017 for the Redskins.
Perhaps Cravens just wanted out of Washington so badly? That really all depends on if he is about football if, and when, he arrives in Denver. The Broncos could use a younger and versatile defensive back in their secondary. Cravens could play customary strong safety or come up in the box as a linebacker hybrid. Cravens will only be 23 entering 2018 with several years left on his rookie contract.
Given that Elway has not drafted well in half a decade, he may have to get an influx of young talent via trade. Cravens was a promising prospect coming out of USC, but has not lived up to the hype of being a second-round pick. To date, he has appeared in just 11 games, starting just three for the 2016 Redskins.
Next: NFL Power Rankings: 30 Best Defenders of All-Time
If Denver is the likely destination for Cravens, then maybe the Broncos will be getting a charged up player in their defensive backfield. This has been an NFL team that has shined in the secondary for the last decade. If Cravens is ready to ball, this could be a worthwhile gamble for Elway to make. He has to swing for the fences in 2018, as the Broncos can’t be sub-.500 for the second straight season.