Vikings Labeled as ‘Buyers’ with Trade Deadline Approaching
NFL teams typically fall into one of two categories when the annual trade deadline nears – buyers or sellers.
The good teams are usually buyers, while the bad ones tend to “sell off” assets in preparation for the following season and beyond.
Per Bleacher Report, the 2021 Minnesota Vikings should be buyers, according to Kristopher Knox. He evaluated each team per their current standing, classifying each squad in one category or the other.
Some examples of selling teams include the Chicago Bears and Denver Broncos. And then teams like the Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, and Vikings are buyers. For Minnesota, Knox wrote:
“The Vikings might only be 3-3, but they have won two in a row and have not lost a game by more than a touchdown this season. Minnesota has every reason to believe that it can make a playoff push over the final 11 weeks. It should be looking to add players at the deadline instead of trading them. Bolstering the run defense would make the most sense, as Minnesota ranks 26th in rushing yards allowed and 29th in yards per attempt allowed. However, the Vikings might want to consider cornerback help with Patrick Peterson (hamstring) on injured reserve. Minnesota is set to lean on second-year corner Cameron Dantzler, but Dantzler has only played sporadically in his second season. Dantzler also received trade interest earlier in the season and could be a trade candidate given the team’s reluctance to play him—he’s been on the field for just 43 percent of the defensive snaps. It wouldn’t be a shock to see Minnesota go after a player like Xavien Howard in the next few days.”
On the topic of improving the rush defense, in theory, that would be wonderful. Yet, trading for more players is unlikely to fix the 26th-in-the-league ranking. The thing is: The Vikings have the run-stuffing personnel to flourish. Men like Michael Pierce, Dalvin Tomlinson, Armon Watts, and Sheldon Richardson should be equipped to stop the run – they’re just not doing it yet. Too, linebacker Anthony Barr is gradually returning to form after a long bout with injury, so his progression should help the run defense.
It would do the Vikings no good to trade for a nose tackle or three-technique defensive tackle. They have enough of those.
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The Xavien Howard idea is intriguing. But that theory is unlikely due to contractual finagling and trade capital. Howard earns $15 million per season, and the Vikings don’t have cap space available to accommodate him right now. Perhaps during the offseason, when Kirk Cousins’ and Danielle Hunter’s contracts are on the docket for restructural examination, then general manager Rick Spielman will have the cash to employ a star-studded cornerback. But not right now, unless Howard massively reworks his current deal (and why would electively do that?).
Plus, it is unlikely the Vikings want to get rid of any more 2022 draft capital. Spielman traded a 4th-Rounder to the New York Jets for tight end Chris Herndon not long ago, and he doesn’t really have gobs of draft picks to spend. Howard will fetch a draft pick higher than Herndon. Would the Vikings really give up a 2nd or 3rd Rounder for a $15 million corner? Also remember – Patrick Peterson will be back in about a month. The secondary isn’t doomed for the remainder of 2021.
The Vikings as buyers adds up from a make-the-playoffs standpoint. The team has to feel like it’s on the cusp of a postseason push. But Spielman is unlikely to conduct a shopping spree because, well, he’s never a buyer at the trade deadline.
Spielman traded Stephen Weatherly to the Denver Broncos last weekend. That was probably the extent of his trade action for 2021.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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