Jaire or Jalen Is a Must for Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings did plenty of heavy lifting this offseason. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah had ample cap space and went to town shoring up both the offensive and defensive lines. Other upgrades were made to Kevin O’Connell’s roster as well, and J.J. McCarthy should feel good about the team he’ll be under center for.
The Green Bay Packers released Jaire Alexander, and his presence or Jalen Ramsey’s seems like a must for the Minnesota Vikings roster.
If there’s still a problem that the Minnesota Vikings must address, it’s the cornerback position. Byron Murphy Jr. is back and will operate as the top option. Isaiah Rodgers signed to take over as the secondary starting corner. With the departure of Stephon Gilmore and Shaq Griffin, there is an open role that needs some help.
The Vikings should be excited about the return of a healthy Mekhi Blackmon. He looked primed for a significant role last season prior to the season-ending knee injury. It should be expected that he’ll be an integral part of Brian Flores’ defense this year. Still, to rely entirely on a relatively unproven asset, and one coming off injury, would be a misstep.
That’s where the need for a veteran comes in. Conveniently, there are two high-ceiling options that the Vikings have a level of familiarity with.
Jalen Ramsey is reportedly available from the Miami Dolphins. There was a time when he was arguably the best cornerback across the entire league. That may not be true anymore as he has aged, but there’s no reason to believe he wouldn’t still be a difference-maker for Minnesota. Still under contract, he could be had for some sort of draft pick compensation.
On the flip side, Green Bay released cornerback Jaire Alexander. He has made a presence within the division, talking about his ability to shut down opposing wide receivers. He’d certainly benefit from working against both Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison in practice on a daily basis. Unlike Ramsey, an acquisition of Alexander would only cost dollars.
The free agent market doesn’t have much left at the cornerback position. Both Jaire and Jalen represent the best of what is available out there, and Minnesota would be better off by having either one of them on its roster. It’s getting late when trying to add more talent before the season starts. Adofo-Mensah would be well-served to find a path to a deal for one of them.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes daily for Minnesota Sports Fan. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
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