Vikings Named a Landing Spot for Multiple Free Agents
Janik Eckardt
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Tuesday was a bad day for roughly a third of NFL players. Every team had to cut 27 players from their 80-man roster to get down to 53. The Vikings had to make some tough decisions. They also pulled off two trades, sending away Jesse Davis and bringing in Ross Blacklock. 31 other teams cut 27 players, which equals 837. PFF looked at some of the available players and deemed the Vikings as fit for some of them.
Tyler Johnson
The former Golden Gopher was cut by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Many Vikings fans were disappointed when former GM Rick Spielman didn’t select him in the 2020 draft. Instead, he chose to bring in K.J. Osborn. In hindsight, it was a great decision.
Johnson played two seasons with Tom Brady and won a Super Bowl. However, after the Buccs signed Julio Jones and Russell Gage, there wasn’t enough room for every receiver.
Johnson appeared in 31 regular season games, including six starts. He recorded 529 receiving yards and two scores. The Vikings could use an additional receiver with NFL experience. Behind the top three wideouts — Jefferson, Thielen, Osborn — the Vikings only have Ihmir Smith-Marsette and rookie Jalen Nailor. Smith-Marsette had one productive game in his career, and the addition of Johnson could upgrade the unproven depth with a reliable player with a high floor.
Mario Edwards Jr.
The Bears cut the defensive lineman, and PFF‘s Brad Spielberger thinks he could help the Vikings. Edwards is a veteran. He’s 28 years old and was a 2015 second-round pick. A few picks later, the Vikings selected Eric Kendricks.
Edwards played three seasons with the Raiders, followed by one with the Giants and one with the Saints. The Bears added him to the roster in 2020. He has the experience of 86 NFL games, 26 of which were starts, and recorded 16.5 sacks in his career.
The defensive end would be a great fit in Minnesota after the team cut Armon Watts. He’s a good pass rusher and can stop the run.
The asking price is probably not that high, as he’s already 28 years old and was just a rotational player in recent years.
McTelvin Agim
The Broncos cut a 2020 third-round pick after just two seasons. Agim will turn 25 next month. He did not even come close to the draft expectations, as the defensive lineman appeared in just 17 NFL games and recorded 1.5 sacks and just 12 tackles.
Interestingly, the Vikings played against him on Saturday when they faced the Broncos. Agim played almost the full game. He recorded two pressures and got a sack. In addition to that, Agim batted two passes. He’s worth a flier. Maybe the Vikings can turn around his career, as he has some potential. However, he’s not a safe bet to provide any help.
Kellen Mond
Former Vikings QB Kellen Mond also made the list. The Vikings cut their 2021 third-round pick after just 16 months with the organization. Spielberger mentioned three fits for him — Cowboys, Lions, Giants.
The problem is that he’s not a backup quarterback at this stage in his career. He’s a QB3 on a roster or a practice squad player. If he clears waivers, he could be a candidate for the Vikings practice squad, but it’s unlikely.
The few days after the cutdown deadline will be tumultuous as the teams try to improve their roster by claiming and signing players. In addition to that, teams could pull off a few trades. The 53-man roster is not set in stone at this point.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and Classic rock is his music genre of choice. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt
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