7 Free Agent Options for Vikings at RB
Don’t look now, but the Minnesota Vikings might need a supplemental RB3.
7 Free Agent Options for Vikings at RB
Cam Akers, who played for the purple team last year before an Achilles injury, joined the Houston Texans roster this week after many believed he’d return to the Twin Cities sometime this summer. No cigar.
The club might have an open RB3 job if it realizes Kene Nwangwu, DeWayne McBride, or Myles Gaskin isn’t the best solution. For context, Aaron Jones and Ty Chandler have already locked down RB1 and RB2 duties, at least on paper.
So, these are seven free-agent options at running back, ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = most likely to sign with the Vikings).
7. Whichever RB the Broncos Release
The Denver Broncos currently have oodles of RB talent, including Javonte Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin, Audric Estime, Samaje Perine, and Blake Watson.
The logic is simple — Denver will keep three or four halfbacks on the 53-man roster at the end of August, and whichever man is cut loose, the Vikings can pounce.
Realistically, that’s probably Perine or Watson.
6. Dalvin Cook
Age: 28
Previous Team: Baltimore Ravens
Minnesota said sayonara to Cook one year ago because he was too expensive and no longer efficient as a bellcow RB1. He then ventured to the New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens — and unfortunately proved his RB1 status was kaput.
As an RB3, however, Cook would fit wonderfully in Minnesota’s system.
5. Jerick McKinnon
Age: 32
Previous Team: Kansas City Chiefs
This two-time Super Bowl champion remains a free agent and spent his first four seasons in Minnesota. He’s remembered fondly by Vikings fans. McKinnon also displayed the “clutch gene” often in Kansas City, which could be just what the doctor ordered if Minnesota makes an unexpected playoff push in 2024.
He knows Minnesota well, and the destination would offer a full-circle ending to McKinnon’s successful career.
4. Matt Breida
Age: 29
Previous Team: New York Giants
Breida struggled mightily in 2023 — 2.7 yards per carry on 55 carries — but that poor performance could’ve been an outlier. He’s averaged 4.6 yards per rush otherwise in his seven-year career. Minnesota would determine from a tryout if his 2023 production indicated the dreaded age-related decline.
Once upon a time, Breida ran a 4.38 forty-yard dash.
3. Latavius Murray
Age: 34
Previous Team: Buffalo Bills
The 2020s version of Frank Gore, Murray has played for six NFL teams since joining the business in 2013. He never really slows down into irrelevance, and for one final hurrah, Murray could join Minnesota’s roster as an RB3.
He spent two seasons with the Vikings, 2017 and 2018, and filled in admirably for a young Dalvin Cook.
2. Kareem Hunt
Age: 28
Previous Team: Cleveland Browns
Hunt worked out for the Vikings last summer before the franchise signed Cam Akers in September. Some might call him the best option for this scenario — a team needing an experienced runner.
An alluring part of Hunt? Twofold: he can catch the ball out of the backfield, and he’s an adept pass-blocker.
1. Darrell Henderson
Age: 26
Previous Team: Los Angeles Rams
Here, head coach Kevin O’Connell would “get the gang back together,” as O’Connell and Henderson won a Super Bowl together in Los Angeles three years ago.
Henderson was the odd man out for the Rams last December when Kyren Williams returned from an injury. O’Connell has shown that he loves to call upon former Rams — Brandon Powell and Johnny Mundt — so Henderson tops the list.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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