A List of 5 Remaining Vikings FA Fits
K. Joudry
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Before free agency kicked off, PurplePTSD offered a Top 32 Free Agents for the Minnesota Vikings. Bringing things up to an even 50 players involved tossing in 18 honorable mentions at the bottom.
The vast majority of those players have been scooped up, but there are still some Vikings FA Fits.
A pair of the original Top 32 – CB Byron Murphy (#13) and EDGE Marcus Davenport (#25) – ended up with the Vikings. Recently, we learned that RB David Montgomery (#29) was also under consideration. Very likely, there were several others considered by Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. In fact, the GM is almost certainly keeping a close eye on several FAs who are still out there.
At present, the roster’s main deficiencies are at linebacker, corner, pass rusher (a more general designation that includes DL and OLB), iOL, and receiver. What does the second wave of free agency have to offer to help?
The Vikings FA Fits: 5 Options
Rock Ya-Sin
26 – Corner
The 26-year-old corner was chosen 34th in 2019. He has yet to play a full NFL season and only has 2 interceptions in his career (with 27 PDs across 4 seasons). Nevertheless, he’s a long corner who may go cheaper than the projected price ($10.8 million/year). Adding him to the equation would reinforce the outside CB spot, further freeing Murphy to travel inside.
Justin Houston
34 – EDGE
Last season, Houston rewarded the Ravens with a 9.5-sack, 7-TFL season. Though he’s already 34, Houston can still thrive in a rotational role. He only had a $3.5 million cap hit in 2022. Danielle Hunter is going to be the EDGE1 and Davenport the EDGE2. If the expected happens, Za’Darius Smith will be heading elsewhere in 2022. Adding a strong EDGE3 would be a prudent move from Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. The Vikings only had 38 sacks last season, tied for 11th-fewest.
Leonard Floyd
30 – EDGE
The long and speedy pass rusher has Vikings connections aplenty. Over the past 3 seasons, Floyd has put up 29 sacks, meaning the veteran has still been productive. The hope would be that he complements Brian Flores’ defense by functioning as another pass rushing specialist to make QBs uncomfortable. A tried-and-true method of helping young, inexperienced corners is to have a truly ferocious pass rush.
Marcus Peters
30 – Corner
Chosen 18th in the 2015 NFL Draft, Peters has had an excellent NFL career. He was a first-team All Pro in 2016 and 2019. In 2015 – his rookie season – he was on the AP2 team and won Defensive Rookie of the Year. His rookie year featured a monstrous 8 INTs and 26 PDs. Since then, his production has slowed, but he’s still capable of making plays on the ball. With Baltimore in 2022, Peters had an INT and 6 PDs; he had a 67.7 PFF grade. More concerning is that he allowed 7 TDs in his coverage.
Odell Beckham Jr.
30 – Receiver
There’s a WR3 opening in Minnesota. OBJ’s friendship with Justin Jefferson is well-established. Adding to the intrigue is that he has a history with Kevin O’Connell and Wes Phillips. Beckham still has remarkable hands and is a Super Bowl champion. With the Vikings, he’d be tasked with taking the heat off #18. Per Jonathan Jones of CBS, the Vikings attended OBJ’s recent workout.
Editor’s Note: A few of the write ups are adapted from “The Final List: The Top 32 Free Agents for the Minnesota Vikings (w/ 18 Honorable Mentions).” That article (and this one) relied on information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, Spotrac, and Over the Cap to help with the piece.
