Vikings move on from Ezra Cleveland at left guard, trade him to Jaguars

Left guard Ezra Cleveland relished the opportunity this season to continue playing with center Garrett Bradbury, his friend and next-door neighbor for nearly three years who signed a contract extension with the Vikings this offseason. Cleveland hoped to earn his own long-term deal with Minnesota.

But Cleveland, the 2020 second-round pick who had only nine games left on his rookie contract, was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Tuesday, hours before the NFL trade deadline. The Vikings acquired a 2024 sixth-round pick that originally belonged to the Panthers (1-6).

Coach Kevin O'Connell described the move as "bittersweet." He said guard Dalton Risner's September acquisition and play during two starts had allowed the team to trade Cleveland, who has been sidelined because of a midfoot sprain since the Oct. 15 victory at Chicago.

"Anytime a player is in the last year of his contract and we can acquire a future resource that we can use this year to help our team, it's tough decisions with the makeup and the group we have, and I'm incredibly aware of our team and the locker room," O'Connell said. "But I do think this is going to be a positive move for not only Ezra, but with the depth we do have, it gave us a chance to feel good about a move like this."

Cleveland, 25, started 49 games for the Vikings since he was drafted out of Boise State, where he played left tackle. He moved inside to guard and quickly became a mainstay through 45 consecutive starts. But Cleveland said in August there had been no movement on a contract extension, indicating the team's tepid feelings about his role in an uneven interior offensive line.

In Jacksonville, Cleveland will reunite with offensive line coach Phil Rauscher, who was an assistant in Minnesota during the 2020 and '21 seasons.

O'Connell said Cleveland was "really one of the first players that I got to know very well when I first came to Minnesota. He was in my office it seemed like daily and just building a relationship with him, so it is bittersweet. But I know it's a great situation Ezra is going to down in Jacksonville."

The Vikings will rely on guard Blake Brandel as the primary backup interior lineman, while O'Connell said guard Chris Reed — the 31-year-old Minnesota State Mankato graduate who has been out since July because of a leg fracture — could return to practice soon.