5 Free Agents the Vikings Can Still Target
The Minnesota Vikings roster is pretty well set — and is actually stuffed to the gills for remaining space.
But the team could improve at some positions between now and the regular season, which begins in precisely four months.
5 Free Agents the Vikings Can Still Target
If Minnesota clears a bit of cap space and wants to add a player or two, these are five free agents to target, ranked in alphabetical order.
1. Shaquill Griffin (CB)
All of a sudden, the Vikings have a crowded CB room — with 11 men. In the last month, they’ve added Joejuan Williams (Patriots) and John Reid (Falcons) from free agency. Minnesota is probably set at cornerback.
Still, beyond Byron Murphy, all the team’s cornerbacks are mysteries. One or two men will emerge as starting cornerbacks, but if the Vikings want a surer bet, Griffin is on the free-agent wire.
He typically fires up a Pro Football Focus score in the 60s or 70s. Griffin would be a wise veteran addition if somebody gets hurt this summer or Minnesota realizes the group isn’t progressing on schedule.
2. Deion Jones (ILB)
This 28-year-old is a tackling machine. Minnesota will likely start Brian Asamoah and Jordan Hicks as off-ball linebackers this September. Jones played five years in Atlanta and one in Cleveland. He remains unsigned.
Keep an eye on his free agency if Asamoah or Hicks get injured this summer. Fantasy football managers will know Jones for IDP purposes. He’s a good football player — and might even be better than Hicks.
3. Chase Roullier (C)
A Burnsville native, Roullier was released by Washington last week. Before injuries arose in 2021 and 2022, the Minnesota native was a Top 12 NFL center. The Vikings are committed to Garrett Bradbury — his contract was extended in March — but Roullier is better than Bradbury’s backup, Austin Schlottmann.
Perhaps general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah could rattle the Minnesota connection and bring Roullier aboard for OL depth.
4. Dalton Risner (G)
Risner is an offensive guard commodity that Vikings fans aren’t used to — he protects against the pass better than the run. For years, Vikings football has showcased the inverse.
Kevin O’Connell seems committed to last year’s rookie Ed Ingram, but Risner is more productive now. Some team will scoop Risner as soon as an injury besets one of its starting guards.
5. Kyle Van Noy (LB)
Recognize the man on the right? Yes, that’s Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
“Ties” from coaches to former players are vital and widespread in the NFL. Like the mindset from Deion Jones listed above, Van Noy would offer a steady veteran presence in the Vikings locker room.
He’s old — 32 — but has played in 128 games throughout his career. And we already know he’s a scheme fit for Flores.
Renowned Viking Killer Now a Free Agent
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,’ and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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