Another Free Agent WR3 Option for the Vikings May Be Coming off the Board
This offseason, the Minnesota Vikings have had to navigate a number of different questions in terms of their roster construction.
When March rolled around, a number of Vikings free agents and veteran contributors decided to leave the team for greener pastures, leaving Minnesota scrambling to fill the holes on their roster.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah overall has done a masterful job of filling some of those holes, particularly at the QB and OLB positions. However, a couple glaring questions remain, and one of them pertains to Minnesota’s WR3 spot behind Jordan Addison and Justin Jefferson.
Minnesota lost K.J. Osborn in free agency, and other than re-signing Brandon Powell, the team has made very little attempt to fill the void left behind by their former WR3. As of Monday morning, another free agent option for that spot could be coming off the board very soon.
Another Free Agent WR3 Option Could Be off the Board
That wide receiver is Zay Jones, who has spent the past two seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. On Monday, it was reported that the 29-year-old receiver is visiting the Tennessee Titans.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network had the scoop, tweeting, “Free agent WR Zay Jones, who was released after the NFL Draft by the #Jaguars, is visiting the #Titans today, source said. Jones has an obvious connection to Tennessee OC Nick Holz, as the two were both in Jacksonville last year.”
In 2023, injuries got the better of Jones as he appeared in only nine games for Jacksonville, but still, he put together 34 receptions for 321 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Those reception, receiving yardage, and touchdown totals would have ranked among the top six for the Vikings in 2023.
One year earlier, Jones put together a career season for the Jaguars, helping Jacksonville make the playoffs for the first time since 2017. The receiver put together 82 receptions, 823 yards, and five touchdowns.
Jones was selected in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills, and he has had stints in Buffalo, Las Vegas, and Jacksonville throughout his career. If he were to join the Titans, Jones would become teammates with some intriguing talent at the WR position like DeAndre Hopkins, Calvin Ridley (Jones’ former Jaguars teammate), and Treylon Burks.
For the Vikings, they are quickly running out of options if they want to pursue a new WR3 this offseason. Odell Beckham Jr. also signed with the Miami Dolphins this weekend, taking another option off the board.
Particularly because of T.J. Hockenson’s ACL injury, it would make a lot of sense for the Vikings to bring in another wide receiver at some point for either Sam Darnold or J.J. McCarthy to throw to. For now, though, the void remains.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.
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