Vikings Urged to Trade for Chiefs RB
The Minnesota Vikings have six running backs on roster as of August 27th. The roster cut deadline is Tuesday, August 29th, at 3:00 pm CST, and the club will likely keep three or four RBs.
Vikings Urged to Trade for Chiefs RB
In the meantime, Bleacher Report offered an intriguing solution for Minnesota’s RB situation last week, recommending a swap for Kansas City Chiefs tailback Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
Edwards-Helare joined the NFL in 2020 and enters the final year of his rookie deal in 2022 after the Chiefs turned down his fifth-year option in May. It is unclear if Edwards-Helaire is actually available for trade.
Left up to Bleacher Report‘s Alex Ballentine, though, Edwards-Helaire should throw on a Vikings helmet this season. Ballentine wrote, “For the Chiefs, there’s not a lot of incentive to keep him around, and they would save $2.1 million by trading him. Still, Edwards-Helaire has a first-round draft pedigree and can do some damage as a receiver out of the backfield. The Chiefs had him playing multiple receiver positions the week of practice leading up to the Super Bowl before he was a healthy scratch.”
In recent weeks, the Vikings have shown interest in bolstering the RB room, adding newcomers Abram Smith from XFL fame and Aaron Dyes from undrafted free agency. The club also met with veterans Kareem Hunt and Mike Davis.
“The Vikings are one of the few teams who could still add a back to their offense. With Dalvin Cook gone, they’ll be relying on Alexander Mattison to shoulder most of the workload. But there’s room for someone like CEH to work as a third-down back,” Ballentine concluded.
Ballentine did not offer a trade price for Edwards-Helaire, but he would likely be gettable for a late-round draft pick — especially after linebacker Isaiah Simmons joined the New York Giants last week for a 7th-Rounder.
Trading for Edwards-Helaire — or any notable running back — boils down to a simple test for the Vikings. Do they trust Alexander Mattison, Ty Chandler, and Kene Nwangwu to carry the load in 2023? If the answer is yes, men like Edwards-Helaire or Kareem Hunt aren’t needed.
The Vikings ranked 29th last year in rushing yards and also ran the football the third-least leaguewide per playcalling percentage. The franchise has hinted all offseason its desire to run the rock more in head coach Kevin O’Connell’s second season. We shall see if that’s with a group led by Mattison or infused with an addition like Edwards-Helaire, as recommended by Bleacher Report.
Ballentine also suggested the Vikings to trade cornerback Andrew Booth to the Miami Dolphins.
Speedy Ex-Vikings WR Cut by Steelers
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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