Three Realistic Free Agents That I Think The Vikings Should Sign
Free agency is just about here and my Vikings need to make a splash.
The Vikings are putting their trust in new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to build a Super Bowl roster and it starts in free agency.
Minnesota is about fourteen million dollars over the cap so Adofo-Mensah needs to work some magic to land solid players for a cheap price. Now for the sake of this article, I’m putting on my general manager jacket and going over three realistic free agents that I think that Vikings could and should sign.
1. New York Giants Guard Will Hernandez
In the 2018 draft, I REALLY wanted the Vikings to take Hernandez in the first round over Mike Hughes and Hughes never panned out due to injuries and just not being really good. Now, Hernandez is set to hit the open market and he’d be a great fit for the Vikings play action based offense. They have one of the NFLs best running backs in Dalvin Cook and could use a mauler in the trenches like Hernandez.
Hernandez allowed seven sacks last year, but is a very solid run blocker. And while he did allow seven sacks, he’s better than any other option Minnesota has at guard. He’s more experienced than Ezra Cleveland and has better technique and power than Oli Udoh.
I think the Vikings could give Hernandez a three to four year deal between ten and thirteen million dollars and turn him into the premiere pulling guard of the franchise, paving the way for Dalvin Cook.
2. Tennessee Titans Center Ben Jones
The offensive line is this teams worst unit and they need to address it this offseason. They’ve secured a large guard in Hernandez, now you need to bring in a center that isn’t going to get bull rushed into your quarterbacks lap like Mason Cole and Garrett Bradbury. Ben Jones allowed one sack last season, and at thirty two the Vikings could low ball the shit out of Jones and bring him in.
Of any position, the older a player is, the lower they are valued because of durability and offensive linemen are a prime example of this. Jones is thirty two and has played in the league for ten seasons thus far. He’ll be able to bring great experience to the Vikings offensive line that they haven’t had in a while.
Minnesota could give Jones a one to two year contract that would give him four and a half million dollars a year to anchor the offensive line and replace the mediocre tandem of Garrett Bradbury and Mason Cole.
3. Kansas City Chiefs Outside Linebacker Melvin Ingram
While offensive line is a tremendous concern for the Vikings, the edge position isn’t solidified because Danielle Hunter has been in and out of the lineup with injuries and a cast of young players hasn’t been able to hold down a starting spot other than D.J. Wonnum.
Ingram bounced around the league this season between Pittsburgh and Kansas City where he tallied twenty five tackles, a sack, and forced a fumble. He’s another veteran player like Ben Jones and can add great experience and leadership to a young edge rushing group that includes D.J. Wonnum, Kenny Willekes, Patrick Jones, and Janarius Robinson.
A deal for Ingram would definitely be a one year one for five to six and a half million dollars. While the price isn’t exactly what they’d want, it’s an ideal player to bring into the Vikings organization.