The quants at Pro Football Focus gave the Minnesota Vikings an A- grade for their fast-paced start to the 2023 free agency period despite the team’s negative PFF War mark following their additions and subtractions.
Minnesota has focused mostly on upgrading their defense to this point in the offseason, signing defensive linemen Marcus Davenport and Dean Lowry as well as cornerback Byron Murphy. All three of these proven playmakers should serve the Vikings well as they look to push for playoff contention beyond the divisional round.
On offense, Minnesota’s intentions have been clear; they intend to re-sign as many members of their 2022 roster as possible. Three of the five players that they have retained were members of their prolific offense last season, and the only addition they’ve made on that side of the ball has been tight end Josh Oliver, who will play mostly as a blocker on running downs. The only attrition to their offense came when the team released wide receiver Adam Thielen due to salary cap constraints.
All in all, despite their favorable grade, PFF estimates that the Vikings have come out with a net PFF WAR of -1.206 following their moves in the first week of free agency, which puts Minnesota squarely on the wrong side of the equation in that category. The raw numbers mean that, by PFF’s metrics, the Vikings have lost more talent than they’ve gained, though a multitude of factors could make this number irrelevant when play resumes in the regular season.
For now, fans in the North Star State will have to wait to see who the team might target in the second week of free agency, and consider which prospects in the upcoming draft might help the team immediately in 2023.
