5 Vikings FA Fits Who are Still Available on Day 3 of Free Agency
K. Joudry
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We’re less than 48 hours into NFL free agency — or, at least, the legal tampering portion of it — and things have been wild. Even still, plenty of Vikings FA Fits remain.
Minnesota has made moves to bring in EDGE Jonathan Greenard, EDGE Andrew Van Ginkel, LB Blake Cashman, QB Sam Darnold, and RB Aaron Jones. And, of course, that’s just the tip of the iceberg; there have been internal additions and some very notable subtractions. The league more broadly has also been jumping into the action, meaning there’s now less talent available. Who remains for Minnesota? Consider 5 players (mostly) from the PurplePTSD Free Agency Board.
5 Vikings FA Fits
1) Chase Young — 25 — Edge Rusher
Young ticks a lot of the boxes for Kwesi. The defender is young and supremely gifted. He was chosen high (2nd overall in 2020) and could benefit from another change of scenery. Does the Davenport decision, though, cause the GM to be skittish about adding a talented pass rusher who has battled injury? A prove-it deal looks like the likeliest outcome for Young. He won the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, an indication of the potential that’s still in the pass rusher.
2) Kendall Fuller — 29 — Corner
Does Brian Flores like deploying versatile defensive backs? If so, then Fuller is someone to monitor. He’s an eight-year vet, picked 84th overall in 2016. The first four seasons featured him spending the majority of his time in the slot; the past four seasons have featured more time along the outside. In total, Fuller has 2,413 slot snaps and 3,671 boundary snaps. He has cleared 1K snaps in each of the past three seasons, so the 29-year-old has been durable.
3) Devin White — 26 — Linebacker
The linebacker ran a faster forty time than Justin Jefferson. He has a history of blitzing a ton and is still only 26. Putting him alongside Ivan Pace may lead to some dicey moments for the pass coverage but some wonderful moments for the pass rush. Adding Cashman makes the fit more uncertain.
4) Sheldon Rankins — 29 — Defensive Tackle
Getting more pressure from the interior of the defensive line is a must. Rankins, though older, might be able to help. Across 597 snaps in 2023, Rankins snagged 6 sacks, 10 QB hits, 9 TFLs, and even had a touchdown. He’ll turn 30 in April, so the Vikings likely wouldn’t commit major money to the DT. Needs to be a value deal.
5) Arik Armstead — 30 — Defensive Tackle/End
The 17th pick from the 2015 NFL Draft stands at 6’7″ and weighs 290 pounds. His career has featured ample snaps as a DT and DE within the San Francisco defense. The versatile pass-rushing defender would be a nice complement to a Vikings defense that’s in desperate need of more push in the middle.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and PFF helped with this piece.
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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.