4 Free Agents Who Should be on The Vikings’ Radar
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s work isn’t done yet. True, the NFL is in its slowest time of the year, but the GM is still hard at work with extensions and, potentially, contract offers for players who are still looking for work.
The fine folks over at Spotrac make it very easy to see who’s still available for hire. Spending a few moments perusing the names allowed us to put together a list of 4 free agents the Vikings should be monitoring as we march toward the beginning of training camp on July 23rd. Don’t forget: the Vikings are sitting on nearly $18 million in cap space.
4 Free Agents and The Vikings’ Radar
1) Justin Houston – Edge Rusher
The 34-year-old is a frequent flyer on PurplePTSD.
Last offseason, I pushed for Minnesota to consider the veteran pass rusher. He ended up in Baltimore, putting together a marvellous season for just a $3.5 million cap charge. By the time it was all said and done, Houston had put together 9.5 sacks while finishing 25th overall in the PFF edge rusher rankings (a spot ahead of Marcus Davenport).
The appeal with Houston is not contingent on whether Danielle Hunter stays or goes. On the contrary, keeping Hunter shouldn’t affect whether the Vikings are interested in Houston. Adding a veteran with some pass-rushing sizzle – especially in July – would be a major win for Brian Flores’ crew.
2) Yannick Ngakoue – Edge Rusher
Admittedly, going back to a player who didn’t work out in Minnesota feels odd. Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer are no longer in town, though, so Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell may be willing to think outside the box.
He just turned 28, so Ngakoue still has some youth. At his worst, he has picked up 8 sacks in a season. That’s right, the former Jaguar, Viking, Raven, Colt, and Raider has never dipped below 8 sacks. At his best, he has put together 12 (back in 2017). More recently, he has had 10 (2021) and 9.5 (2022).
True, he isn’t the perfect player, but there’s something to be said for onboarding a player who can make the third-down defense more dangerous.
3) Shelby Harris, DT/DE
Another player who can help the Flores pass rush, Harris has long been one of the NFL’s most underrated players.
He’s closing in on his 32nd birthday — August 11th — so the Vikings would only be signing on for a single season. Harris’ job would be to get penetration from along the defensive line, something that has been lacking in recent years. Last year, he only picked up a pair of sacks but he did finish 17th in the PFF DT rankings.
In the past, he has been a strong pass rusher. Could be a sneaky add, especially since the Vikings have enough depth up front to put Harris in for favorable snaps.
4) Oday Aboushi, Guard
And how about one for the offense?
Tip of the cap to Brad Spielberger of PFF for this one. The analyst identifies guard Oday Aboushi as a strong fit, noting the offensive lineman’s success in Los Angeles:
At guard, 2020 second-round pick Ezra Cleveland is entering a contract year and 2022 second-round pick Ed Ingram earned a 44.4 pass-blocking grade as a rookie that ranked 66th out of 71 guards with at least 250 pass-blocking snaps. Aboushi has been a reliable depth piece at either guard spot everywhere he goes, most recently with Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell’s former team in the Los Angeles Rams in 2022. Aboushi has three straight seasons earning grades above 65.0, with grades of at least 60.0 as a pass blocker and run blocker each year.
Maybe Ed Ingram is ready for a sophomore leap. If that doesn’t occur, the iOL will continue to struggle keeping Kirk Cousins upright (a major issue last season). Bringing in competent depth would be a savvy move.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece. And, as mentioned up top, Spotrac was very helpful.
