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Four weeks into the 2025 NFL season, the NFC West has quietly become one of the most competitive and balanced divisions in football. With no team sporting a losing record, it joins the NFC North as one of only two divisions in the league where every team is at or above .500. That balance of power will once again be on display in prime time as the Los Angeles Rams host division rivals the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night at SoFi Stadium.

But while those two teams gear up for another heated West Coast clash, the conversation elsewhere is shifting toward the trade deadline-which hits at 4:00 p.m. ET on November 4. The chatter is building, and one move that's getting some traction involves the surging Seattle Seahawks, who sit at 3-1 and look every bit like a team ready to challenge deep into the season.

The suggestion: Seattle goes all-in on an already solid defense by targeting none other than Browns cornerback Denzel Ward.

Let’s unpack that.

The Seahawks' defense has plenty working in its favor under first-year head coach Mike Macdonald, especially considering how aggressively they’ve played through the first month. But adding a corner of Ward’s caliber could be game-changing. According to the proposal, Seattle would be giving up a second-round pick to land the four-time Pro Bowler-a price that sounds steep at first glance, but one that might be justified given Ward’s pedigree and the current state of the Seahawks’ secondary.

One big reason this move makes sense: Riq Woolen, who burst onto the scene in 2022 with a breakout rookie campaign, has taken a step back this season. He’s been on the wrong end of some big plays at critical moments, and while growing pains aren’t unusual, the timing isn’t ideal for a team with playoff aspirations. The defense is good-but in an NFC crammed with high-powered passing attacks, is good going to be enough?

That’s where Ward enters the picture. Not only would he provide a stabilizing presence opposite Woolen, but his arrival would also create more flexibility for Devon Witherspoon, Seattle’s rising second-year star. Witherspoon has shown he can impact games from both inside and outside corner roles, and Macdonald-known for his creative pressure schemes from his time with the Ravens-would no doubt appreciate having more chess pieces to work with on the back line.

At 28, Ward’s resume already speaks loudly. He’s logged 18 career interceptions-two returned for touchdowns-and six fumble recoveries, with two of those also going to the house.

His career totals include 98 passes defensed in 99 games, and this season he's already notched 10 tackles, one interception, and three pass breakups in four starts. That may not scream splashy numbers, but he’s been part of a Browns defense that has been arguably the stingiest in the NFL.

Get this: no defense in the league has allowed fewer total yards or rushing yards than Cleveland through four weeks. And only three teams have given up fewer passing yards.

That unit isn’t just good-it’s suffocating. So why would Cleveland move a cornerstone player like Ward?

Well, the Browns find themselves on the ropes early at 1-3, and they’re already making a quarterback change ahead of this week's matchup with the Vikings. If the front office, led by GM Andrew Berry, decides to retool rather than simply tread water, moving a high-value player like Ward might not be off the table-especially with a second-round pick dangling in front of them.

It would be a bold move for both sides. For Seattle, it’s about taking a very good defense and pushing it into elite territory with a win-now mindset. For Cleveland, it would raise questions about their direction, given the defensive dominance they’ve shown amid offensive instability.

The trade deadline is still a few weeks out, but deals like this? They don’t just happen on deadline day.

Seeds get planted now. And for the Seahawks, if improving a strength means turning a young, aggressive defense into something scarier, it might be a gamble worth making.