We are eight days into the free agency period and the Minnesota Vikings have been plenty busy in both acquiring and retaining talent.
Despite entering the offseason nearly $24 million over the salary cap, the Vikings made multiple moves by releasing stalwart players like Adam Thielen and Eric Kendricks. The corresponding moves that they made will help determine where the Vikings go moving forward.
After the first eight days, the Vikings have made multiple moves. Here is how I have graded each of those moves.
TE Josh Oliver
This was an interesting one to start free agency. Oliver was initially a third round pick of the Jacksonvilled Jaguars in 2019 as a pass catching specialist. After two injury plagued seasons, the Jaguars shipped him to the Baltimore Ravens for a conditional seventh-round pick. During his time in Baltimore, Oliver filled out his frame and became one of the best blocking tight ends in the NFL.
Why would the Vikings choose to sign Oliver? There are two reasons that come to mind. They want to implement more 12 personnel to maximize the running game and taking advantage of matchups. The other is that Kwesi Adofo-Mensah likely sees a market inefficiency at the tight end position. An odd start to free agency ended up being a pretty good one for the Vikings.
Grade: B+
EDGE Marcus Davenport
With the future of Za’Darius Smith in flux, the Vikings didn’t waste any time by going after one of the top edge rushers on the market in Davenport. The contract came in very favorably for the Vikings with only an approximately $5.25 million cap hit this year.
His fit will be an interesting one for the Vikings. He can do a lot of different things and has tremendous athleticism and size, as seen with his athletic profile.
Marcus Davenport was drafted with pick 14 of round 1 in the 2018 draft class. He scored a 9.66 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 40 out of 1150 DE from 1987 to 2018. #Vikingshttps://t.co/6a4UUtDizr #RAS pic.twitter.com/buL0GVjlLU
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 14, 2023
Brian Flores loves versatility and he got himself a twitched up version of Trey Flowers. If Davenport hits this season and thrives in a versatile 3-4 scheme that isn’t anywhere close to what he ran in New Orleans, the Vikings are set at the edge position for awhile.
Grade: A-
CB Byron Murphy Jr.
The Vikings needed to add to the cornerback position and they did so with a really talented player in Murphy Jr. Having played both inside and outside, Murphy Jr. will help with both the versatility of the room and also to add overall talent.
The addition doesn’t come without risk. He missed eight games in 2022 with a back injury. His contract is setup perfectly to both maximize the cap this year and give the Vikings a relatively inexpensive out if he doesn’t perform up to expectations. This is far and away the best move of the offseason so far.
Grade: A+
QB Nick Mullens
This is a really smart signing by the Vikings. Mullens doesn’t offer any true upside, but that really doesn’t matter with where the Vikings sit. They will find a quarterback of the future and he will sit behind both players. With the idea of getting a quarterback of the future, having Mullens on the books for two years is a savvy move.
Grade: B+
C Garrett Bradbury
The Vikings needed to find a starting center and they decided that bringing back Bradbury was the best option. At just $5.25 million per year, it was both a smart move for Bradbury and also came in under market value. While he still has his flaws, getting him signed to a contract worth $2.75 million less than what the Los Angeles Rams signed Brian Allen for last year. Really savvy play by Adofo-Mensah.
Grade: B+
LS Andrew DePaola
Special teams is a really important thing in the NFL, but major dollars aren’t poured into the unit as a whole. One of the things that matters the most is continuity. Keeping DePaola, who was the first-team All-Pro long snapper in 2022, will be a big deal in keeping that continuity. It’s also slightly above league minimun, which is a really good value for the Vikings.
Grade: A-
K Greg Joseph
The Vikings have had a lot of issues with the kicker position over the last decade and Joseph has had his share of those issues with multiple missed extra points and being in the bottom five in that category. At $2.5 million on a one-year deal is steep, but was there a better option for the Vikings? Honestly, there really wasn’t because they weren’t going to give Matt Gay a massive deal that the Indianapolis Colts did. Feels really middling to me.
Grade: C+
EDGE Kenny Willekes
After the Vikings drafted Willekes, he has only played in six games due to injury, including missing all of 2022. A star edge rusher from Michigan State, Willekes was incredibly productive but was seen as more of an effort guy. With the defense that Brian Flores is bringing in, a guy like Willekes could be a nice depth piece, especially at the money he will cost.
Grade: B
TE Ben Ellefson
After the Vikings agreed to terms with Oliver, tendering Ellefson was out of the question. Bringing him back as a fourth tight end into training camp is a really smart idea. He likely gets cut and put on the practice squad. Nothing more than a depth piece, but having a depth piece that knows the offense is valuable.
Grade: C+
RB Alexander Mattison
Dalvin Cook is a major question mark moving forward. With him likely on his way out this offseason (although it’s less likely now), the Vikings chose to sign Mattison to a two year, $7 million deal with a maximu value of $8 million.
The signing itself is interesting. I don’t believe Mattison is someone that is worth investing a second contract in, but it does signal that the Vikings are looking to go to a backfield by committee. This is also rotational back money, but I think they could have allocated their resources better.
Grade: C
C Austin Schlottmann
The Vikings kept fortifying their offensive line by bringing back Schlottmann. He performed admirably when Bradbury went down with a back injury. In those four starts, he was a replacement level player. With a miminum salary, he is worthy competition for Chirs Reed.
Grade: B-
DE Dean Lowry
When the Vikings lost out on retaining Dalvin Tomlinson, they needed to bring in a replacement. They got one in Lowry. An athletic player that had his best season in 2021, Lowry will be a capable player, but there is a downgrade from what Tomlinson brings.
Grade: B-
OL Oli Udoh
For the first time in sometime, the Vikings don’t have any major questions on the offensive line. They have brought back their entire offensive line from last season and Udoh was the final piece to that puzzle. With the ability to play four of the five positions on the offensive line, Udoh is a valuable asset.
Grade: B
