The Top 3 Under-the-Radar Offseason Moves for Vikings
The 2024 Minnesota Vikings have added 14 newcomers this offseason, allowed 16 players to walk via waiver or free agency, and re-signed seven free agents from the 2023 team.
The Top 3 Under-the-Radar Offseason Moves for Vikings
The team is forecasted to win about 6.5 games, playing second, third, and fourth fiddle to every team in the NFC North, at least per pre-draft April sportsbooks’ odds.
A few transactions have flown under the radar along the way this offseason. These are the Top 3 moves, ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = most important).
3. Parker Romo In; Greg Joseph to GB
Here is the statistic to remember about Greg Joseph:
Greg Joseph,
Field Goal % Ranking,
Last 2 Seasons:
2022 = 28th
2023 = 28th
That isn’t good.
So, the Vikings opted for change, onboarding Parker Romo from the XFL. In the last two seasons, Joseph finished as a bottom-five kicker in the NFL per field goal percentage but always seemed to convert with games on the line. Accordingly, Vikings fans “appreciated what they had” in Joseph, scarred from kickers of yesteryear who let them down in crucial, pressure-cooked moments. But as a matter of improvement, Minnesota should strive to find a kicker who can do it all: hit game-winning kicks, normal ones, and drill extra points consistently.
With any luck, Romo can do just that.
Kyle Joudry of PurplePTSD, a sister site to VikingsTerritory, wrote about Romo last month, “Parker Romo is 26 and comes in at 5’11”, 188. He began his college career at Tulsa before moving over to Virginia Tech (overlapping with Christian Darrisaw). His final season arrived in 2021. He went 34/34 on his extra points and 18/22 on his field goals. Back in 2019, he even took some reps as a punter, launching 8 punts for 354 yards (44.3 average).”
2. Blake Brandel as the Presumptive Starter at LG
Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah re-upped with Brandel last month for three years and $9.5 million, a contract suggesting a starter’s trajectory. The man didn’t utterly break the bank, but the dollars and years were noteworthy.
And without Dalton Risner on the roster — he remains an unsigned free agent — all signs point to Brandel as the 2024 starter at left guard, at least at the moment. Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling told KFAN in March, “The money they gave Brandel, specifically the years, did make me wonder if he’s going to get that chance to start … the fact they gave him a three-year deal, that’s not something you just do because you have too. I don’t think his market would have been that hot … I do think there’s a chance that he will get an opportunity to compete for that spot.”
Risner could still return, but for now, it’s either Brandel or a rookie at left guard. Laken Tomlinson is also a free agent.
1. Shaquill Griffin Signing Makes CB Room Quite Deep
Minnesota employs Byron Murphy, Mekhi Blackmon, Akayleb Evans, and Andrew Booth as playable corners at the moment. Plus Shaquill Griffin, of course. Griffin has more starting experience than most and is actually quite productive despite a handful of different teams in the last couple of seasons.
Therefore, before the 2024 NFL Draft, Minnesota has five decent cornerbacks on the roster, which is pretty sweet. If there was no Griffin addition, Vikings faithful would be a bit anxietal about the CB room for 2024.
Griffin gives the secondary some insurance. And Minnesota needs it: Flores’ defense ranked 32nd in the NFL per completion percentage allowed last season.
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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