Why the Vikings Should Peek at Free-Agent Pass Rusher
The Minnesota Vikings have about $9.5 million in cap space after trading Za’Darius Smith to the Cleveland Browns two weeks ago.
The move cleared around $10 million and gave Smith the fresh start he coveted in Cleveland.
Why the Vikings Should Peek at Free-Agent Pass Rusher
And while Minnesota has plenty of pass rushers on the 90-man roster right now, the club should peek at one more — Leonard Floyd.
Here’s why.
In Case of Injury
Not long ago, Vikings pass rusher Danielle Hunter was considered ‘injury prone.’ Hunter injured his neck in 2020 and missed the whole season. Then, a year later, he tore his pectoral muscle on Halloween night and was out for the season’s remainder.
Meanwhile, Minnesota signed Marcus Davenport in March to replace Za’Darius Smith, and one of the knocks on him is — you guessed it — injury. The ex-Saint missed 23% of all football games in his first five seasons, so for now, Vikings fans will hope for different mojo in Minnesota.
That’s two dudes beset by injury in the last three seasons, and the Vikings are banking on such events not occurring in 2023. It’s a risky proposition.
Signing Floyd would put a starter on deck if Hunter or Davenport missed a game or multiple. Hedge the bet.
The O’Connell Connection
This one could be considered flimsy on the surface, but it is not. Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell and Floyd won a Super Bowl together in 2021 with the Los Angeles Rams. Time and time again, ‘ties’ between coaches and players matter in sports. Players often follow coaches to new places of employment, and although O’Connell certainly didn’t coach defense, he has to know Floyd personally.
O’Connell should have a pipeline to broker the Floyd relationship. Why not add a 30-year-old EDGE rusher with a documented history of results?
The Production
Speaking of production, Floyd has never reached a Pro Bowl but has assembled a commendable seven-year career with the Chicago Bears and aforementioned Rams. He’s played 104 games, starting all 104 while collecting 338 tackles, 103 QB hits, 54 tackles for loss, and 47.5 sacks.
He’s not quite as productive as Hunter, but few are. Plus, the man has a starter’s credo, so if injuries arise, as detailed above, it wouldn’t be weird one iota for Floyd to slide into a Vikings starting lineup.
Here’s Floyd’s Pro Football Focus resume:
- 2016 = 66.3
- 2017 = 63.8
- 2018 = 68.6
- 2019 = 69.6
- 2020 = 69.0
- 2021 = 70.4
- 2022 = 65.7
Consistency galore.
The Price
Summer free agents not named DeAndre Hopkins won’t break the bank. We’re not talking megabucks here. Floyd should be gettable by a new team in the $6 million per season range, and if the Vikings toe the recent company line, it would likely be a one-year deal.
The organization can afford a contingency-plan pass rusher, especially one as productive as Floyd, somewhere in the ballpark of $5 to $8 million. Dalvin Cook could even be traded or released in the next week, possibly freeing up another $9 to $11 million in cap space.
The money should align. Floyd is a wise free-agent summer option.
Titans Sign Former Vikings Defender
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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