The 4 Weirdest Fits for Former Vikings on New Teams
The NFL regular season is 72 days away, with usual suspects like the Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers, and Baltimore Ravens favored to win the Super Bowl.
The 4 Weirdest Fits for Former Vikings on New Teams
As always, plenty of former Minnesota Vikings players found new teams this offseason; roster movement is the nature of the beast in the NFL.
And these are the four weirdest fits among those players ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = the weirdest).
4. Greg Joseph (K) to Packers
Why It’s Weird: It’s not uncommon for a former Viking to join Green Bay’s roster, so while that’s a little weird, it’s not the strangest part. The weirdest aspect of Joseph to Green Bay is that the Packers already have two kickers besides Joseph — Anders Carlson and James Turner.
Green Bay has a crowded house at kicker, and Carlson — the brother of ex-Viking Daniel Carlson — should be considered the frontrunner to prevail. Overall, Joseph landed in a spot that probably won’t keep him around in the regular season.
3. Irv Smith Jr. (TE) to Chiefs
Why It’s Weird: One might think, “Hey, if Smith Jr. can finally break out anywhere, it’s gotta be the Chiefs, right?” That’s where the theory holder is wrong. Smith Jr. is listed as the Chiefs’ TE4 in late June.
Travis Kelce, Noah Gray, and Jared Wiley live ahead of him on the depth chart, which means he will probably be cut in August.
Smith Jr. had a golden opportunity to arrive in 2023, his sixth season as a pro, in Cincinnati because the Bengals had no clear-cut tight end. He fired up 115 yards altogether.
2. Marcus Davenport (EDGE) to Lions
Why It’s Weird: Davenport is listed as a starter on the Lions’ pre-training camp depth charts.
Not long ago, Detroit was known for making underwhelming roster decisions, but as of late, that franchise has totally revitalized all of its operations. So when Davenport exists as a starting defensive end on the Lions’ depth chart, something seems a little off.
Davenport played somewhat well when healthy as a Viking in 2023, but that was approximately 3.1 games. Detroit must believe he’ll miraculously stay healthy in 2024. Adding Davenport — especially after last year’s showing — should be a depth maneuver. But nope. He’s listed as a Lions’ starter.
1. Stefon Diggs (WR) to Texans
Why It’s Weird: Diggs is on tap for WR3 duty.
The Texans employ a crowded house at wide receiver — a good problem to have as a sudden Super Bowl contender. However, Nico Collins and Tank Dell will command a healthy share of aerial targets in Houston’s offense, an awkward spot for Diggs, who was the Bills’ bellcow WR1 for four years.
In fact, Diggs hasn’t received a WR3 workload since midway through 2015. The guy isn’t shy, and if he doesn’t like his role in the Texans’ offense, he will scream to high heavens about it or tweet bizarre song lyrics.
On paper, the fit makes sense — Diggs to a dynamic offense. But the man can be a tantrum waiting to happen.
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,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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