10 Wide Receivers the Vikings Could Acquire This Summer
The Minnesota Vikings embark on training camp in 11 days and are less than nine weeks away from the start of the regular season.
10 Wide Receivers the Vikings Could Acquire This Summer
The team finished 7-10 in 2023 and will hope to improve on that mark with some combination of Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy at quarterback.
Meanwhile, the WR3 portion roster could still use an upgrade, and these are 10 men the team could explore. Of course, Adofo-Mensah won’t add all 10, but these are the best options, ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = most realistic).
10. Terrace Marshall Jr.
How to Get Him:
Trade — probably a 6th- or 7th-Rounder — or — late summer free agency after possible roster cut.
Why Marshall Jr.?
Marshall Jr., a 2nd-Rounder from the 2021 NFL Draft, has Diontae Johnson, Xavier Lagette, Adam Thielen, and Jonathan Mingo ahead of him on the depth chart. If he makes Carolina’s 53-man roster, he’s the WR5. Minnesota could use him as WR3.
9. Courtland Sutton
How to Get Him:
Trade — probably a 5th-Rounder.
Why Sutton?
Trade rumors have surrounded Sutton since Sean Payton arrived in Denver, as Payton has formulated the roster with “his guys.” Sutton would solidify Minnesota’s WR3 — and then some — for 2024 and beyond.
8. Julio Jones
How to Get Him:
Bargain Bin Free Agency
Why Jones:
Jones is way past his prime, but per dependability, even at age 35, it doesn’t get much sturdier. Minnesota would need Jones to tabulate 500-800 yards, and perhaps the future Hall of Famer could handle the assignment. And — he’d be wickedly affordable.
7. Adam Thielen
How to Get Him:
Trade — probably a 6th- or 7th-Rounder.
Why Thielen?
These wide receivers, among others, live on the Panthers’ depth chart next to Adam Thielen:
- Diontae Johnson
- Xavier Lagette
- Terrace Marshall Jr.
- Jonathan Mingo
- Ihmir Smith-Marsette
The top two weren’t employed by Carolina last season, and they’re certain to reduce Thielen’s workload. If Thielen becomes expendable, well, the Vikings need a WR3.
Thielen also worked out with J.J. McCarthy a couple of weeks ago, which piqued fans’ interest.
6. Tutu Atwell
How to Get Him:
Trade — probably a 7th-Rounder — or — late summer free agency after possible roster cut.
Why Atwell?
Head coach Kevin O’Connell and Atwell crossed paths in 2021 with the Rams, the season Los Angeles won the Super Bowl. And in 2023, Atwell performed wonderfully out of the gate before Cooper Kupp returned. Fantasy football managers scooped him off the wire.
5. Dyami Brown
How to Get Him:
Trade — probably a 6th- or 7th-Rounder — or — late summer free agency after possible roster cut.
Why Brown?
Brown might be on the Washington Commanders’ roster bubble this summer after Luke McCaffrey joined the team in the draft. He’s never welcomed more than 25 targets in the passing game during a single season in Washington, a low number for a former 3rd-Round pick.
4. Treylon Burks
How to Get Him:
Trade — probably a 7th-Rounder — or — late summer free agency after possible roster cut.
Why Burks?
Burks is on deck for special teams duty in 2024, at least per summer reports. He was a 2nd-Rounder two years ago, and it’s not unreasonable to surmise that the man could play WR3 for Minnesota.
3. Hunter Renfrow
How to Get Him:
Free Agency
Why Renfrow?
Renfrow tabulated 1,038 receiving yards in 2021 and then just under 600 combined from 2022 to 2023. His career has stalled, and at age 28, he needs a change of scenery for an attempt at reclamation.
Conveniently, Renfrow is a free agent, and many wonder why no team has taken the plunge for his services as a WR3 or WR4. Adofo-Mensah selected zero wide receivers during the draft, even though the event was filled with promising WR3 types.
In theory, Renfrow should have a few seasons left, so why not in purple as a WR3 on a one-year deal? It’d be affordable.
2. Michael Thomas
How to Get Him:
Free Agency
Why Thomas?
Before an injury in 2023 — against the Vikings — Thomas tabulated about 44 receiving yards per game for the Saints. And that’s just about what Minnesota needs until T.J. Hockenson returns this season. Thomas has not lived up to this otherworldly shine since signing a mammoth contract four years ago, but for cheap, he could play WR3 for Minnesota.
1. Robert Woods
How to Get Him:
Free agency via possible roster cut by the Texans late in August.
Why Woods?
Janik Eckardt of PurplePTSD, a sister site to VikingsTerrtiory, recently wrote about Woods as a Viking, “Robert Woods is an old friend of head coach Kevin O’Connell. When he coordinated the offense on Sean McVay’s Rams, Woods was Cooper Kupp’s wingman. Now 32 years old, the veteran is stuck on a remarkable depth chart in Houston behind last year’s standouts Nico Collins and Tank Dell, the trade acquisition Stefon Diggs, and Noah Brown. The team will also attempt to insert former second-rounder John Metchie into their offensive plans.”
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 MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, Basset Hounds, ‘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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