The Vikings Still Have 3 Central Needs in Free Agency
The Minnesota Vikings have introduced fans to their quietest free agency — at least the start of it — in six years, with just one external player joining the roster through 2.5 days of legal tampering: cornerback James Pierre of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Accordingly, the club must still address three main free agency needs before the draft in six weeks.
Minnesota has handled plenty already, but the board still points to three unfinished jobs.
The franchise may be waiting for a more affordable wave of free agency — it’s the only thing that makes sense after Minnesota cleared ample cap space this week.
Quarterback Headlines the Vikings’ Remaining To-Do List
Ranked in ascending order, the Vikings can’t really ignore these three spots.
3. RB2
For now, the RB depth chart features Jordan Mason and Zavier Scott. That’s not enough, and it’s especially insufficient for the club that elected to release Aaron Jones before the start of free agency.
By now, the major free-agent combatants are gone at running back: Trevor Etienne (New Orleans Saints), Kenneth Walker III (Kansas City Chiefs), Breece Hall (New York Jets), Javonte Williams (Dallas Cowboys), and J.K. Dobbins (Denver Broncos).
That pretty much leaves Rachaad White, a tailback who proved his ability to handle a significant workload in 2023. That year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, before Bucky Irving’s arrival, White was a focal point of the offense, totaling 1,539 scrimmage yards and 9 touchdowns. At 27 years old, that season remains a relevant indicator of his capabilities.
White possesses the physical profile of a reliable, modern halfback. Standing 6’0″ and weighing approximately 215 pounds, he also boasts a 4.48 40-yard dash time. He also contributes in the passing game, catching passes cleanly out of the backfield and providing solid pass protection; he finished last season as a Top 20 running back in blocking. The traits suggest he could be a dependable RB2 option for Minnesota.
Otherwise, RB free agents look like this at the time of this article’s publication:
- Austin Ekeler
- Antonio Gibson
- Najee Harris
- Michael Carter
- Jaleel McLaughlin
- Keaton Mitchell
- Joe Mixon
- Brian Robinson
- Sean Tucker
- Rachaad White
- Emmanuel Wilson
For clarity, Mason, the current RB1, might do just fine in his role. The club just needs RB2 insurance.
The Implication if the Vikings Do Nothing: The Vikings will draft a running back before the end of Round 4 in April.
2. Starting Center
This spot is even grimmer. Ryan Kelly retired last week, and all the premier free-agent centers have signed elsewhere, including Tyler Linderbaum to the Las Vegas Raiders, Elgton Jenkins to the Cleveland Browns, and Cade Mays to the Detroit Lions. Unless Minnesota adores its in-house options, the starting center options are dwindling — fast.
For now, the Vikings have no major weak links on the offensive line aside from center. Yet no Kelly replacement from free agency would force the club to draft one early in April.
These starting free-agent centers remain:
- Lloyd Cushenberry
- James Daniels
- Graham Glasgow
- Ethan Pocic
The Implication if the Vikings Do Nothing: The Vikings love Blake Brandel or Michael Jurgens — or have identified a rookie center who will be ready to roll in Week 1.
1. Quarterback
This is the Kyler Murray category.
Daniel Jones re-upped with the Indianapolis Colts. Tua Tagovailoa signed with the Atlanta Falcons. The Miami Dolphins picked Malik Willis. Aaron Rodgers will likely return to the Pittsburgh Steelers. And the New York Jets traded for Geno Smith.
If one assumes that Rodgers will be back in Pittsburgh, there’s really no other place for Murray to land.
However, if Murray swerves and became a Steeler, the Vikings would be left with these free-agent alternatives at quarterback:
- Kirk Cousins
- Joe Flacco
- Jimmy Garoppolo
- Trey Lance
- Aaron Rodgers
- Tyrod Taylor
- Carson Wentz
- Russell Wilson
- Zach Wilson
Interim general manager Rob Brzezinski could also pick up the phone and dangle a 2nd-Round pick in front of San Francisco 49ers boss John Lynch for Mac Jones.
ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss tweeted Wednesday, “With Kyler Murray expected to be released by the Cardinals today, a source told me that Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell and Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski each did extensive research into Murray on their own.”
Sporting News‘ Billy Heyen added, “Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell would love to get Murray into his offense for some creative solutions to problems defense try to throw at them. Murray is already earning lots of money from the Cardinals after his release, so the Vikings presumably wouldn’t have to break the bank to sign him, either. The Vikings may be the team that gets the next piece of that production.”
The Implication if the Vikings Do Nothing: The Vikings treasure J.J. McCarthy much more than they have stated publicly.
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