Vikings Rumors: EDGE Crisis, Beefing Up the OL, & 5 Veterans on The Roster Bubble
K. Joudry
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Though we’re now into the portion of the year when Vikings rumors aren’t as abundant, we’ll still be highlighting some of the purple rumblings.
The “Vikings Rumor Wrangle” is a series that keeps readers informed on what’s being whispered about in Vikings Land. In this iteration, we discuss the upcoming issue for the Vikings at edge rusher, the team’s effort to add more talent to the o-line, and the various veterans who are on the Vikings’ roster bubble.
The Vikings Rumors – 08.02.2023
Rumor #1 — Even After Signing Danielle Hunter, the Vikings are Staring Down a Crisis at EDGE
Crisis is too strong, but the position does raise a few concerns (as Josh Frey details).
Right now, Danielle Hunter, Marcus Davenport, and D.J. Wonnum will be free agents by March of 2024. Hunter is particularly important since he has established himself as a clear-cut, top-tier pass rusher in the NFL. When he’s healthy, Hunter is the kind of defender who strikes fear in opponents. His length and explosiveness create serious issues for offensive tackles.
Thankfully, Minnesota looks to have some cap space next year. Over the Cap currently projects that they’ll have roughly $54 million in room, a strong amount that already accounts for more than $19.7 million being devoted to Justin Jefferson. In other words, the Vikings will have some money to spend.
Moreover, one wonders about the NFL Draft. It has been a while since Minnesota opted for an edge rusher in the opening round — 2005, DE Erasmus James, 18th overall — but there’s a new sheriff in town: Mr. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. Presumably, the young GM will be open to adding talent at EDGE if the player warrants the pick.
In the meantime, simply enjoy another season of having a high-ceiling edge rusher duo in Davenport and Hunter. Each could still be in Minnesota for years to come.
Rumor #2 — The Vikings are Taking Steps to Beef Up Their Offensive Line
True. Or, at the very least, exploring some options to do precisely that.
Per Ian Rapoport, the Vikings will be meeting with Dalton Risner, formerly of the Denver Broncos: “Some OL help on the way? Source says that former #Broncos guard Dalton Risner is on his way to visit the #Vikings, potentially filling a need into training camp. Risner started 62 games over the last four years for Denver and is the top OL available.”
Basically every Vikings fan from the past decade + has craved improvement for Minnesota’s OL. The arrival of Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill (who is recovering well from his injury) has certainly opened a lot of optimism in The Gopher State. The interior of the offensive line remains a work in progress, though.
On PurplePTSD, Josh Frey explored reasons why Risner looks like a good fit. On Vikings Territory, Dustin Baker has been exploring the Risner possibility for a while, often by drawing attention to the o-lineman’s relationship with Minnesota’s OL coach Chris Kuper.
My theory is that Kwesi’s turn to Risner is simply the next step following the Hunter deal. After securing the pass rusher for 2023, the GM feels comfortable proceeding with a FA capable of shoring up a weakness. Yes, the flirtation with Risner is made possible by knowing what the budget is since Hunter is now under contract. The Vikings can move forward with some financial certainty and load up a bit further as they seek to contend in 2023.
Keep an eye on the Risner news (or lack thereof, as the case may be) in the coming days.
Rumor #3 — Several Vikings Veterans are on The Roster Bubble
For sure. The important thing to remember is that every training camp features the same dilemma for veterans on the fringe of a team’s roster.
Essentially every NFL team is looking to field a competitive roster while managing their resources effectively. If a younger, cheaper player can do a veteran’s job for a fraction of the price, then what motivation does a team have for keeping the veteran around? Intangible factors — leadership, significance to the team/community, etc. — can enter the equation even as we acknowledge that those things can only go so far.
At the beginning of July, Dustin wrote about 5 players who are on the roster bubble for VT. The players whom he mentions make sense, but I’ve got my eye on a particular cluster of guys.
The players who really stand out are the ones brought in by Rick Spielman. Since taking over, Adofo-Mensah has shown very little loyalty to players brought in by Spielman. Sure, the Justin Jeffersons and Christian Darrisaws have been able to stick around, but the new GM is creating a roster in his own image.
One thinks of D.J. Wonnum, Troy Dye, Camryn Bynum, James Lynch, and even Kene Nwangwu as players to monitor toward the end of August. There’s even a slim chance that Minnesota would consider a trade involving Ezra Cleveland and/or K.J. Osborn.
The coming weeks will be fascinating, so PurplePTSD is committing to keeping readers informed on what’s going on with the Minnesota Vikings.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
