Stokley: ‘Ludicrous’ for Broncos to give up 2nd-rounder for Cravens

As the Denver Broncos took in Day One of the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, the club reportedly looked to get younger in its defensive backfield via a trade with the Washington Redskins.

Multiple reports Wednesday, the first from NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, indicate the Broncos are in talks to acquire Redskins safety Su’a Cravens, who’ll be 23 in July.

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

Acquiring Cravens would add another young body in the Broncos safety room, and could potentially spell the end of Darian Stewart, 29, in Denver.

“Darian Stewart is probably on his last year with the Broncos. You’ve got to start looking for younger guys,” said “Stokley and Zach” co-host Brandon Stokley. “And they did it with Justin Simmons and Will Parks, but to add another guy like this and you still have Jamal Carter, an undrafted guy from Miami last year that they’re very high on … you try to add to the room, add some youth.”

However, not everything about the potential deal rubbed Stokley the right way, as Fan Football Insider Cecil Lammey reports Washington could be seeking as high as a second-round pick in return for Cravens.

“It’s ludicrous. That’s not happening. Let’s just stop with that,” Stokley said.

Lammey called the asking price a jumping off point, but Stokley said anything higher than a sixth- or seventh-round pick would be too much of a “gamble” for Cravens, who did not play a down last season.

“Now, he’s a very talented guy, a second-round pick by the Redskins. A sixth-, seventh-round pick, OK,” Stokley said. “I’ll gamble. I’ll gamble on a guy like that. But other than that, no. No chance.”

According to an ESPN report, Cravens nearly retired at the beginning of the 2017 season before Redskins executive talked him out of it. The second-year player had been nursing a knee injury and was suffering from Post-Concussion Syndrome, according to a statement from his agent, and was placed on the reserve/left squad list.

Earlier this month, ESPN NFL reporter Field Yates reported that the NFL had reinstated Cravens, but his return to Washington seemed to be a potentially rocky one.

Fellow defensive back DeAngelo Hall told 106.7 The Fan in Washington, D.C., that there was “room for Su’a” on the Redskins roster, but him abruptly leaving the team would be “a tough thing for a lot of the guys in this locker room to just look past.”

“I don’t know where his heart is at,” Stokley said. “A lot of his teammates questioned that last year. And, I think it’s safe to say a lot of his teammates thought he quit on them last year.

“DeAngelo Hall has come out and said he has to gain the locker room’s trust back. So, I look at a guy like that, and I’m not willing to give up a fifth-round pick.”

During his rookie season in 2016, Cravens played in 11 games for Washington, starting three, racking up one interception, one sack, five passes defensed, and 23 tackles.

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.