Top 5 Vikings Free Agent Options at Safety
NFL free agency officially opens on March 12, and Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has decisions to make at the safety position. Harrison Smith and Camryn Bynum are both scheduled to be free agents, leaving Adofo-Mensah to find two starters for his team should they not return.
Top 5 Vikings Free Agent Options at Safety
The Vikings GM could try again where he failed with 2022 first-round pick Lewis Cine and look for an answer in the draft. Or he can look at the free-agent market, which offers several fascinating options — including a couple of players who don’t make the list largely due to injury issues in Elijah Molden and Talanoa Hufanga, who had a leg break late last season that makes his recovery timeline a concern.
Hufanga was having a down season, playing through knee and ankle injuries, before ligament damage in his wrist ended his season. The sheer volume of injuries is a red flag for me, though he is a favored option for many.
5. Justin Reid
The oldest player on this list, at 28, is Justin Reid. The veteran safety has been a good player over seven seasons in the league with Houston and Kansas City. He has an all-around game that will make him desirable but also see him command a hefty price tag. Reid signed a 3-year, $31.5 million contract with the Chiefs in his first go around at free agency. He will be looking to be well-paid again.
I have question marks over putting big money at the position unless it’s for a young player with a lengthy contract.
4. Julian Blackmon
In Julian Blackmon, the Vikings would get a sort of Bynum and Josh Metellus hybrid, a player capable of doing both key roles on the Brian Flores defense. Blackmon can perform the deep safety role that Bynum has performed, with the responsibility of keeping the offense in front of him, which he did in Indianapolis last season. He also has the skill set to make plays on the quarterback and in run defense. Blackmon could be considered a jack of all trades and a master of none, but he’s a good football player.
If Adofo-Mensah could land him in the region of $7 million a year, that would be a great value addition.
3. Jeremy Chinn
Jeremy Chinn would be a player Flores could sink his teeth into, similar to Metellus. Move him around the formation and just let him play, and Chinn will deliver results. With Metellus already in the building, this move wouldn’t be a priority, but if there’s money left over after other areas have been strengthened, it is worth looking at. Chinn would be a dangerous prospect in the Vikings’ defense.
2. Tre’von Moehrig
Tre’von Moehrig has put together a solid start to his career in a struggling Raiders team. He has shown he can do it all with five interceptions and 18 passes defensed over the past two seasons while also showing considerable growth when coming forward to make plays with three sacks and five quarterback hits over the same span. His all-around game is evidenced by a top-15 ranking at safety in interceptions, forced incompletion rate, tackles for loss/no gain, and defensive stops.
A change of scenery to a team that can be competitive is what Moehrig needs, and that could be Minnesota.
1. Jevon Holland
Despite coming into free agency on the back of a down year, Jevon Holland is still the top option at safety this year. A second-round draft pick out of Oregon in 2021 for the Dolphins when Flores was still head coach in Miami. Holland has ranked as one of the five highest-graded safeties in two of his first three seasons in the league, according to Pro Football Focus.
Holland comes in at number three on PFF’s free agency ranking and is the highest player still available. His body of work more than speaks for itself, and a reunion with Flores would be an exciting prospect in Minnesota.
This is the marquee move at the position should Adofo-Mensah wish to make it.
You must be logged in to post a comment.