Questions Answered: Odell Beckham, Roster Move before Trade Deadline, Revised Record Prediction
Dustin Baker
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Questions + Answers
The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by PurplePTSD. Today is the October 19th edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to [email protected].
Also, please note: These are opinion-based responses. Some answers will be incorrect from time to time. But we’ll try to keep that to a minimum.
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Q: Do you expect the Vikings to make a serious push for Odell Beckham?
A: No, we believe that’s a fan-driven thing.
There are two problems with the Vikings as players in the OBJ Sweepstakes:
1) Minnesota has the fewest available cap dollars in the NFL through October 18th — with less than $500,000. They don’t have the money to sign Beckham — or anybody notable, really — and that alone should ixnay the Vikings from OBJ hope. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah would have to renegotiate existing player deals to make the contract work — not unheard of but a longshot, nevertheless.
2) The Vikings already have “problems” feeding all the mouths on offense. Fans criticize Adam Thielen’s lack of targets. Well, those would soar to the moon with Beckham on the depth chart.
Moreover, Thielen accepts his reduced workload with grace. Beckham would not.
Q: With the trade deadline on November 1st, will the Vikings come up with any bold roster moves?
A: Probably not, mainly because of the aforementioned skinny budget.
The Vikings don’t have money to sign Beckham or Ndamukong Suh. The piggybank is lite.
Of course, if they had money, they could improve at TE, interior DL, CB, and maybe even LB. Yet, Adofo-Mensah inherited a slim budget, so the likelihood of a big trade is low.
Keep an eye on a player like Chris Reed, though, who could be shipped out because he’s too good to play zero offensive snaps. Playoff-contending teams have OL needs.
Q: I know you guys were high on the Vikings before the season began. What’s your current (revised?) end-of-season record prediction?
A: We chose an 11-6 record and a wildcard berth before the season kicked off.
That prediction feels fairly righteous now but may need revision to 12-5 and an NFC North crown. Kevin O’Connell’s team essentially has a 2.5-game lead on the Green Bay Packers, and the Bears and Lions are kaput.
A record of 7-4 the rest of the way should net the Vikings a division title for the first time since 2017.
Purple PTSD: National Pundits Offer Trade Ideas for Vikings
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).