Minnesota Vikings: A list of prospective free agents for 2019
By Joe Kipp
The Minnesota Vikings have a few glaring needs. Below are some prospective free agents that could be good targets this offseason.
The Minnesota Vikings‘ 2018 season was disappointing for several reasons. Not only did they fail to make the playoffs after being touted as a possible Super Bowl contender, but franchise quarterback Kirk Cousins was paid a lot of money to not show up when the moments were brightest.
But not everything that went wrong for the Minnesota’s offense was Cousins’ fault. After all, there were times where he was looking at the dirt more than his own receivers. The Vikings offensive line was arguably the worst in the entire NFL.
Vikings general manager Rick Spielman doesn’t have the best track record of drafting and signing linemen, so maybe this doesn’t come as a surprise. Riley Reiff, Tom Compton and Mike Remmers were all brought in as veteran free agents. All have underwhelmed. Rookie Brian O’Neill showed signs of promise, but Pat Elflein took a step back after a solid rookie campaign in 2017.
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The main takeaway: the offensive line should be the Vikings’ largest priority in the 2019 offseason.
Besides that, Minnesota doesn’t have many holes on their roster. Outside linebacker is a need, especially if the Vikings don’t re-sign Anthony Barr. Defensive tackle becomes a bigger need if they fail to retain Sheldon Richardson. Wide receiver is a less-pressing need, but it’s become clear Laquon Treadwell isn’t who they thought he’d be.
If Minnesota wants to be active in free agency, they’ll have to maneuver around some cap space. The Vikings currently have $731,725 in cap space for 2019, per Spotrac. Releasing or trading players will help create more room.
Below are prospective 2019 free agents the Vikings should look into, broken down by positions and tiers.
Offensive tackles
Tier 1:
Trent Brown, New England Patriots
Ja’Wuan James, Miami Dolphins
Donovan Smith, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tier 2:
Daryl Williams, Carolina Panthers
Bobby Massie, Chicago Bears
Tier 3:
Jermon Bushrod, New Orleans Saints
Jordan Mills, Buffalo Bills
LaAdrian Waddle, New England Patriots
Chris Clark, Carolina Panthers
Ty Nysekhe, Washington Redskins
Tier 4:
Greg Robinson, Cleveland Browns
Jared Veldheer, Denver Broncos
Ereck Flowers, Jacksonville Jaguars
Seantrel Henderson, Houston Texans
Offensive guards
Tier 1:
Ramon Foster, Pittsburgh Steelers
Rodger Saffold, Los Angeles Rams
Tier 2:
James Carpenter, New York Jets
Mark Glowinski, Indianapolis Colts
JR Sweezy, Seattle Seahawks
Mike Iupati, Arizona Cardinals
Tier 3:
DJ Fluker, Seattle Seahawks
Quinton Spain, Tennessee Titans
AJ Cann, Jacksonville Jaguars
Andy Levitre, Atlanta Falcons
Tier 4:
Byron Bell, Green Bay Packers
Chance Warmack, Philadelphia Eagles
Zane Beadles, Atlanta Falcons
(4-3) Outside linebackers
Tier 1:
KJ Wright, Seattle Seahawks
Anthony Barr, Minnesota Vikings
Tier 2:
Mychal Kendricks, Seattle Seahawks
Tier 3:
Thomas Davis, Carolina Panthers
Tier 4:
Paul Worrilow, Philadelphia Eagles
Gerald Hodges, Arizona Cardinals
Damien Wilson, Dallas Cowboys
Defensive tackles
Tier 1:
Sheldon Richardson, Minnesota Vikings
Grady Jarrett, Atlanta Falcons
Ndamukong Suh, Los Angeles Rams
Tier 2:
Brandon Mebane, Los Angeles Chargers
Rodney Gunter, Arizona Cardinals
Tier 3:
Tom Johnson, Minnesota Vikings
Malcom Brown, New England Patriots
Tier 4:
Bennie Logan, Tennessee Titans
Shamar Stephen, Seattle Seahawks
Sylvester Williams, Miami Dolphins
Jordan Phillips, Buffalo Bills
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The Vikings spent heavily in free agency last offseason, but now must be wise as they address needs. Thus, who they target from this list will be critical for them moving forward.