After 10 days of free agency, the Minnesota Vikings are suring up their roster by filling the holes on the roster. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has been doing it so that when the NFL draft comes around, the Vikings will have the ability to truly focus on best player available.
Even though they have filled a lot of their holes and made a lot of impact in making the roster better, they don’t have a completely clean roster yet. There are still a few needs that should be addressed.
Here are the five biggest needs on the roster currently.
1. Quarterback of the future
Let’s clear this up right now. The quarterback of the future does not have to be a rookie. It could be anyone right now, including the current starting quarterback Kirk Cousins. The main issue for the Vikings currently is they don’t have a solidified plan after this year. They need to get that plan in place for the future.
What is that plan? Right now, it’s hard to say. There have been rumblings about Lamar Jackson, but that feels highly unlikely. The top four quarterbacks are likely gone by 23 and would require a hefty trade up to get there. Along with those options, the door isn’t closed yet on Cousins being that guy for the next few years. Whatever the case may be, they need to find themselves an answer.
2. Finding a WR2
Even with the greatness of Justin Jefferson and the addition of T.J. Hockenson last season, there is a gaping hole for a talented wide receiver on the other side of the field at wide receiver two.
The Vikings chose to move on from Adam Thielen and haven’t been able to bring in a free agent as of yet. K.J. Osborn isn’t likely to develop into a true WR2 so a draft pick might be the smart play here. In my latest mock draft, I had the Vikings selecting Quentin Johnston in my latest mock draft. 23 or a slight trade down would be a great spot to take a wide receiver.
3. Cornerback
The Vikings addressed the cornerback need earlier this offseason with the signing of Byron Murphy Jr. from the Arizona Cardinals. That gives them five cornerbacks on the roster with three of them likley being on the opening day roster.
No matter what way you look at it, the Vikings need to add cornerbacks. With the addition of Murphy Jr., they don’t need to add a high-profile player. They need depth more than anything. Getting one more player in free agency paired with a draft pick would put this group in good shape.
4. Defensive line
The Vikings are going to be returning the majority of last year’s defensive line with the only major change is Dean Lowry in for a departed Dalvin Tomlinson. While the group they have is capable, they don’t have a lot of potential or upside. Bringing in a young defensive tackle high in the draft to develop and give this unit some potential would be an ideal scenario for the Vikings defense.
5. Edge rusher
The edge position is currently flush with talent. Danielle Hunter, Za’Darius Smith and Marcus Davenport are all starting caliber players and D.J. Wonnum is a good rotational player as is Patrick Jones II. The real question is who will be on the team next year?
Smith and Jones II do have one more year on their contracts but Hunter, Davenport and Wonnum are all set to be free agents after the 2023 season. What is the plan at the position going to be? An extension for Hunter is likely with his cash flow this year only set to be a shade under $5 million. They need to work on fortifying the position. One thing to monitor is that Wonnum’s status with the team could be in doubt in they draft one this April with his cap hit sitting at $2.93 million.
