The Bevy of Vikings Injuries Means Kwesi Adofo-Mensah May Reignite the Free Agent Flirtations
K. Joudry
|
Maybe the Vikings decide to roll with the talent that’s already in-house, eschewing outside options in favor of players who are lower on the depth chart and/or operating on the practice squad.
Even doing that, though, would likely involve some free agent flirtations from Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. The Vikings injuries look to be too formidable to not bring in more talent. After all, Jaren Hall had to leave the game due to a concussion and so too did K.J. Osborn. And let’s not forget Cam Akers, the RB2 who often looks like he has the most burst coming out of the backfield. He, too, was hurt in Atlanta.
The Vikings Injuries and The Need for Roster Help
The QB and WR positions looked deep and promising coming into the season but both have been undone by injuries. Consider this: the Vikings’ QB1, QB2, and QB3 are all unlikely to go in Week 10 due to health (Kirk Cousins is guaranteed to miss, Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall have a small shot at playing).
Going into a game with just Joshua Dobbs and Sean Mannion would be foolish. One thinks of Tanner Morgan, at the very least, as an option since he has already been attached to the roster in 2023. An injury to Dobbs in Week 10 would be evidence of an insanely (historically?) unlucky season season of quarterback health, so let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.
Other positions, though, are also aching for reinforcements.
Cam Akers is dealing with an Achilles injury. Vikings fans will be forgiven if that sentence causes a bit of a shudder.
If the worst happens, do the Vikings feel comfortable moving ahead with just Alexander Mattison and Ty Chandler? Kene Nwangwu could return, working into the rotation on occasion. Maybe his next-level speed finally gets put to use. And, of course, we think of DeWayne McBride, the once-promising 7th-rounder who is hanging around on the practice squad.
Moving ahead with a backup QB means the Vikings will need their running game to get better in a hurry. Continuing to have such a paltry yards-per-carry average from the RBs is going to catch up with Minnesota.
One wonders, then, if the Vikings will look to bring someone in. After all, the Akers add was an admission that the team wasn’t 100% content with the running backs. The same logic likely remains, especially since Mattison is now down to just 3.6 yards per carry.
The receiver position has a path toward being in an OK spot. The violent hit on Osborn and subsequent need for him to be carted off the field suggests that the team’s WR3 won’t be around in Week 10. The mandate for Osborn thus involves taking care of his body, getting back to full health before thinking about playing football again.
The Vikings could weather the storm if Justin Jefferson comes off the IR. Getting him back on the field would instantly open things up since he demands so much attention from the other side. Plus, Jalen Nailor was activated off the IR, so he’s someone else to keep in mind. In Week 10, Minnesota could move ahead with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Brandon Powell as the top trio. The next options would then be Trishton Jackson, N’Keal Harry, and Jalen Nailor.
Not bad.
According to Over the Cap, the Vikings are sitting on a touch below $8 million in cap space. By no means an infinite amount, Adofo-Mensah and the Vikings still have more than enough to bring in a player or two if that ends up being the best course of action.
The Vikings will take on the Saints on Sunday, November 12th at U.S. Bank Stadium. A win would propel Minnesota up to a 6-4 record, a win/loss split that few could foresee after beginning with a 1-4 record and then seeing Justin Jefferson go on the IR.
Put simply, Kevin O’Connell has been doing a masterful job of coaching this team. Giving him the personnel he needs to continue finding ways to win will be vital.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
Josh Dobbs Already Has a Favorite Receiver for the Vikings
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.