Matthew Coller: It's OK if the Vikings don't add anyone else
When you pull up the list of remaining NFL free agents, there are a handful that you can theoretically make make work on the Minnesota Vikings depth chart.
Because the Vikings do not have a clear-cut answer at the WR3/4/5 spots, the most obvious players on the free agent list that could be Vikings are wide receivers like Hunter Renfrow, Michael Thomas, Richie James and Byron Pringle.
There are other positions like edge rusher, defensive tackle, cornerback and running back that feature free agents with some type of track record of recent success. The list of those fellas looks like this: CB Stephon Gilmore, CB Adoree Jackson, DE Carl Lawson, DE Yannick Ngakoue, DE Emmanuel Ogbah, CB Marcus Peters, RB Kareem Hunt, DE Markus Golden, CB Ahkello Witherspoon, DE Justin Houston, RB Matt Breida, DE Melvin Ingram, CB Eli Apple, DE Shaq Lawson and CB Bradley Roby.
If you squint you can see handfuls of sacks/pressures or pass breakups or yards per carry that these veteran players might be able to add to a Vikings team that is short on depth. But these veterans are still free agents for a reason.
For example:
— Among all players with at least 35 targets in 2023, Renfrow graded 102nd out of 102 by Pro Football Focus. He only lined up wide on 8% of his snaps, which means if the Vikings signed him they would only be able to limit him to a very specific role rather than having positional flexibility.
— Ogbah ranked 76th of123 edge rushers in pass-rush win rate. Lawson was 120th
— Out of 63 running backs with at least 50 carries, Hunt ranked 43rd in PFF grade and 60th in yards per attempt
— Apple graded 106th of 133 corners in PFF grade, Witherspoon was 71st
Last year the Vikings attempted to bring in two free agents who struggled mightily the previous season in Dean Lowry and Marcus Davenport and in both instances they fell well short of bounce-back years.
That isn’t unique to last-minute Vikings signings of years past. The Bashaud Breeland and Dede Westrbrook types have rarely been difference makers. Players like Kendall Wright, Jordan Taylor, Datone Jones, Todd Davis, Chris Jones, Ameer Abdullah etc.
What we have seen in the past is unproven players emerge from the depths of the roster to become difference makers. Last year the Vikings could have added more help to the cornerback group but instead they settled on having a long-time special teams player try the nickel position. That turned into Josh Metellus becoming one of the most valuable and versatile defensive players the Vikings have on the roster.
Likewise they could have paired another veteran linebacker with Jordan Hicks rather than letting a battle of young players play out and from that contest came a foundational piece of the defense in Ivan Pace Jr.
Once upon a time players like Adam Thielen, Andrew Sendejo, Tom Johnson, Anthony Harris and KJ Osborn fought their way into key spots on winning teams.
Of course, that doesn’t guarantee that the Vikings will see that happen this year. Experimenting with competition at defensive back spots failed Mike Zimmer in 2020 when neither of Jeff Gladney, Holton Hill or Cam Dantzler rose to the challenge. They haven’t developed an edge rusher from the late rounds or UDFA market in a while and the Chad Beebes and Bisi Johnsons never took hold of depth wide receiver positions.
On the current roster it’s not easy to see exactly who those training camp surprises might be. Maybe 2023 UDFA Andre Carter or 2022 sixth-round pick receiver Jalen Nailor? Maybe rookie DT Levi Drake Rodriguez or UDFA Dwight McGlothern? Possibly running back DeWayne McBride or UDFA pass rusher Gabriel Murphy?
It’s impossible to say until we get into the dog days of training camp whether the Vikings will find the next Pace Jr. or not but with the team taking a long-term outlook as they build the roster to the timeline of their first-round quarterback JJ McCarthy, it would be preferrable to let those types of players get an opportunity to possibly emerge as a multi-year starter or role player rather than having them sit behind a one-year solution veteran (who oftentimes is hoping for a bounce-back season).
If the hay is in the barn for this year’s roster, then it looks on paper in June like a club that has a bunch of high quality starters and very unproven depth. From the fact that the Vikings have had all spring to sign these free agents and haven’t done it yet it appears they are leaning toward rolling the dice on the unproven players. For now, that’s a good strategy.