The Minnesota Vikings made a couple of splash moves in the first week of free agency by signing defensive end Marcus Davenport and cornerback Byron Murphy, but their work is far from over. In the pursuit of fielding a Super Bowl-caliber roster, the team will continue to exhaust every option to sign high-value talent and, according to Pro Football Focus, they may need to continue shoring up their secondary.
The quants at PFF made their stance on Minnesota’s roster clear on Tuesday, publishing an article that listed the wide receiver, cornerback, and linebacker positions as the Vikings’ biggest needs after the first wave of free agent signings. Minnesota’s decision to release long-tenured receiver Adam Thielen likely played into PFF’s calculus to recommend that they sign another pass-catcher, but with a threat like Justin Jefferson on the roster, the team certainly doesn’t need to make a huge investment at the position.
Likewise, Murphy’s addition to the secondary will necessitate that the Vikings shore up their depth or potentially sign a veteran to compete for consistent snaps, though the position has already functionally been addressed.
The linebacker position, though, remains a question for Minnesota moving forward. Second-year backer Brian Asamoah II should be poised to take a big step forward in 2023 after seeing limited action in 16 games last year, and veteran Jordan Hicks should prove to continue stirring the pot in the middle of the Vikings’ defense next season. Both are expected to start for the team when the regular season commences in September, but more depth could be added to complement Troy Dye and William Kwenkeu, who currently round out their backup positions in the linebacking corps.
