Will the Vikings Sign More Free Agents?
The Minnesota Vikings were active in free agency, adding Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Blake Cashman, and Aaron Jones. All are expected to play major roles this season.
The regular season is two months away, and they have over $26 million left in cap space via Over The Cap. What will they do? Will they sign anyone who could likely start or push for a starting job? Or will they try to save as much as possible to spend towards 2025?
Will the Vikings Sign More Free Agents?
They could sign players to only one-year contracts, but sometimes that is not enough to encourage them to sign even this late in the offseason. Cornerback is the most significant question mark on this team. Outside of Byron Murphy Jr., the other starting cornerback spot is not yet determined.
Last week, rookie Khyree Jackson tragically passed away in a car accident. Even before that, this position was a question mark. Unfortunately, it is an even bigger question mark now. We will sadly never know what kind of player Jackson would have been, but he would have at least seen some snaps and given the team some possible glimpses for the future.
The team may feel it is even more necessary to sign a cornerback now. Before the tragic incident, Akayleb Evans was already up and down. Andrew Booth Jr. has shown some flashes but is mostly unproven. Mekhi Blackmon had a good rookie year, but can he take that next step forward?
Shaquill Griffin was signed to a one-year deal. He is a low-risk, high-reward move. What about the rest of the cornerbacks though? How will they do? Murphy had a good year but was not quite what they expected. Maybe Griffin will turn his career back around and have a good year. He has also dealt with injuries over the past two years. Can he stay healthy and contribute? That is one of the most underrated questions regarding this team heading into the season.
Xavien Howard and Stephon Gillmore are still unsigned. Of course, neither is what they were before, but they would still help both on the field and as mentors. Howard makes the most sense, given that Brian Flores was his head coach with the Miami Dolphins from 2019-2021.
How about a third wide receiver to go along with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison? Brandon Powell is not a bad option as the number three, but maybe they will add another one. Michael Thomas and Hunter Renfrow are still available.
Renfrow had 103 receptions for 1,038 yards and nine touchdowns (all career highs) just three seasons ago. Last season, he played in all 17 games but had only 25 receptions. With two very good wide receivers on the roster already, Renfrow should do enough as the third option to help this team. Thomas would also help this team, playing behind Jefferson and Addison.
With Addison’s recent arrest, too, it would not be a surprise if he is suspended to start the season. That would make the team very likely to add a wide receiver. It would not be a bad idea to add more to this roster, but given that this team will likely miss the playoffs again for the fourth time in the last five years, it would be best if they try to save as much as possible for 2025. That year, they could be very good.
Again, one-year deals would not be a bad idea; anything more than that could perhaps hurt them next year unless they somehow swing a trade for a high-impact player (that is not very likely to happen at this point in the year, though).
They could perhaps trade for a player before the season starts. At the moment, though, that does not look very likely, given this team is not expected to be very good this year.
The team could also do so at the trade deadline, depending on how the first half of the season goes. That would be the smart decision. Wait and see how things go before giving up any draft picks. They should not trade any picks for now.
Maybe this team could surprise and make the playoffs this season, but they should focus more on building towards 2025 and beyond right now.
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