Vikings Added a Couple of New Players Last Weekend
Dustin Baker
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The Minnesota Vikings embarked on a busy first week of free agency, headlined by defensive additions Jonathan Greenard (EDGE), Andrew Van Ginkel (EDGE), and Blake Cashman (ILB). The club also finagled a sexy trade on Friday, sending two 2nd-Round picks to Houston for the Texans’ 2024 1st-Rounder (Pick No. 23) and a late-round pick swap.
Vikings Added a Couple of New Players Last Weekend
But that wasn’t all for the festivities over the weekend. Minnesota signed these two men.
Dan Feeney (OG)
When Minnesota began free agency one week ago, about 25 players were scheduled to hit the open market. Over half played either offensive or defensive line.
So when the Vikings added Dan Feeney on Friday, the move made sense. Minnesota needed offensive line depth, and Feeney is precisely that. The veteran guard has appeared in 112 NFL games, starting 65, and spent most of his time with the Los Angeles Chargers. After Los Angeles cut him loose in 2021, he bounced around to the New York Jets and Chicago Bears. Here’s his resume to date:
- Los Angeles Chargers (2017–2020)
- New York Jets (2021–2022)
- Miami Dolphins (2023)
- Chicago Bears (2023)
- Minnesota Vikings (2024–present)
It’s worth noting that Feeney didn’t play any games for the 2023 Dolphins, instead latching onto Matt Eberflus’ team last year.
Here’s his Pro Football Focus skinny since entering the NFL seven years ago as a 3rd-Round pick:
- 2023 = 44.8
- 2022 = 51.8
- 2021 = 75.9
- 2020 = 48.2
- 2019 = 51.7
- 2018 = 49.2
- 2017 = 60.8
The Vikings have not re-signed Dalton Risner as of March 17th, and in fact, when general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was asked on KFAN about Risner on Monday, he made it sound like that ship had sailed. “Where we’ve wanted to be is best available. That’s where we’ve tried to set ourselves up both in a draft and acquisition standpoint. So every option is on the table. That’s all I can say about that,” Adofo-Mensah told Paul Allen.
So, we shall see if Feeney competes for a starter’s job with Blake Brandel, or the more realistic option, fills a role like Chris Reed in 2022 and 2023.
Trent Sherfield (WR)
K.J. Osborn signed with the New England Patriots on Sunday, meaning Minnesota needs a new WR3 if Jalen Nailor or Brandon Powell aren’t promoted.
That could reasonably be Sherfield, who departed the Buffalo Bills after a one-year pitstop. Here’s Sherfield’s NFL history:
- Arizona Cardinals (2018–2020)
- San Francisco 49ers (2021)
- Miami Dolphins (2022)
- Buffalo Bills (2023)
- Minnesota Vikings (2024–present)
Sherfield has played in 95 career games, gaining 141 targets in six years and accumulating 78 receptions for 930 yards and 5 touchdowns. With Josh Allen and friends in 2023, the 28-year-old was targeted just 22 times — akin to Johnny Mundt’s numbers with the 2023 Vikings.
The upcoming draft is loaded with WR3 types in the mid-to-late rounds, but if Minnesota doesn’t want to use a draft pick on one, it’ll have a three-horse race this summer for WR3 between Nailor, Powell, and Sherfield.
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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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