Fleeting Vikings Trade Theory Dies
Dexter Lawrence will not be a Minnesota Viking, at least not anytime soon. The Cincinnati Bengals pulled off a trade last weekend — at a steep price — with the New York Giants for the NFL’s best nose tackle, and along the way, the fleeting Lawrence-to-Minnesota trade idea passed away.
The Vikings now shift focus to other defensive tackle options after the Lawrence trade theory quickly perished.
The Vikings must now address their need at defensive tackle with a rookie in the draft or in free agency, targeting players like Christian Wilkins or D.J. Reader.
Where Minnesota Turns after the Dexter Lawrence Idea Fades
Lawrence is a Bengal.
Lawrence Trade Is Official
A pre-draft shakeup, The Athletic‘s Charlotte Carroll and Jeff Howe wrote Sunday, “The New York Giants have agreed to send Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for the No. 10 pick in next week’s NFL Draft, a league source confirmed Saturday to The Athletic. The Bengals announced the trade Sunday. Lawrence passed his physical and the Bengals signed him to a one-year extension through the 2028 season.”
“The move comes after Lawrence publicly requested a trade April 6. The All-Pro defensive tackle has not attended the team’s voluntary offseason workouts, which began April 7. The day after the news went public, coach John Harbaugh said he wasn’t surprised by the request, calling the prospects of Lawrence staying with the Giants’ high.'”
Before the trade, the Bengals had just over $1 million in available cap space, and that evidently just didn’t matter.
Vikings’ Draft Options at DT
After Saturday, we know Lawrence won’t join the Vikings via trade, and we know that Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, two men who combined for over 1,300 DT snaps last year, aren’t coming back.
In Thursday’s draft, that leaves these options for the Vikings in the first three rounds, where one could reasonably hope a starter could blossom:
- Peter Woods (Clemson | R1)
- Kayden McDonald (Ohio State | R1)
- Caleb Banks (Florida | R2)
- Christen Miller (Georgia | R2)
- Lee Hunter (Texas Tech | R2)
- Domonique Orange (Iowa State | R3)
- Gracen Halton (Oklahoma | R3)
- Darrell Jackson Jr. (Florida State | R3)
Four of these men have been somewhat frequent mock-draft targets for Minnesota: Woods, McDonald, Banks, and Hunter. It’s worth noting that McDonald and Hunter are nose tackles — like Lawrence.
Wilkins or Reader?
When Brian Flores took over as Miami’s head coach in 2019, drafting Wilkins was a deliberate choice. Flores immediately recognized Wilkins as the ideal player to establish the identity of his defensive line, centering his defensive strategy around him and picking him as his first-ever draft pick in Miami.
Flores already possesses a deep understanding of Wilkins’ strengths, knows how to utilize his abilities best, and appreciates how he fits into a scheme that prioritizes disruption and physicality. There is no uncertainty. It’s just a matter of Wilkins’s current asking price.
With interim general manager Rob Brzezinski’s input, Flores’ endorsement carries considerable weight, and Wilkins would directly address a critical short-term roster need. Following the exits of Allen and Hargrave, the interior defensive line probably needs some juice, unless Minnesota has big plans for youngsters, Levi Drake Rodriguez and Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins.
Wilkins provides precisely that: dependable run defense and a consistently strong presence in the trenches. Considering these converging factors, the rationale is clear. Wilkins joining Minnesota is a logical move.
Reader, too, has become a viable option after Minnesota signed zero interior defensive line during free agency’s first or second wave. He’s big-bodied and would fill the nose tackle role just fine. It’s worth noting that Reader has already met with a handful of free-agent suitors, such as the Baltimore Ravens, and those teams could have him on speed dial after the draft.
Lawrence in CIN
The Bengals run a 4-3 defense, so their defensive line will look like this in September:
DE: Myles Murphy
DT: Jonathan Allen
DT: Dexter Lawrence
DE: Boye Mafe
DE: Shemar Stewart
Yes, that’s the same Allen. Somewhat ironically, he signed with the Bengals a few days after the Vikings said goodbye, taking Minnesota off the hook for much of Allen’s would-be 2027 cap burden.
On the Lawrence trade, Cincy Jungle‘s Alex Frank reacted to the move: “The Bengals haven’t drafted overly well in recent years, especially on defense. So what did they do Saturday night? They went outside the box, tried something different.”
“Rather than bet on drafting and developing, they said, ‘The hell with the 10th pick, we’re trading it for a proven defensive commodity.’ That’s what the Bengals did. Yes, the Bengals. They did this. This is how you modernize. Mike Brown is going all in. The time is now. If you’re looking at hotels in Los Angeles for the second week of February, good for you! I am too.”
Lawrence will turn 29 in November and hasn’t logged a full sack in 22 games.
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