And 5 More Free Agent Fits for the Minnesota Vikings
Earlier in the week, PurplePTSD ventured into the tricky task of assembling a team-specific free agency board. The first kick at the can — The Vikings’ FA Board and Wish List — submitted fifteen names as free agent fits in Minnesota.
By definition, the list was an incomplete picture; the NFL is offering hundreds of available players, so plenty of notable names get missed. Plus, the landscape has already changed as teams slapped the franchise tag on star players (looking at you, Madubuike). The point, folks, is simply that we’re going after a moving target. So, consider who else could plausibly help the Vikings in 2024 and beyond.
Free Agent Fits for the Minnesota Vikings
1) Jonah Jackson, Detroit Lions
Info & Intrigue: The Vikings have a need at left guard. Jonah Jackson is a left guard. Partnership? Minnesota will know him well since he was chosen 75th overall by the Lions back in 2020. Since then, he has been putting in work in Michigan, picking up a Pro Bowl along the way. He’s 27 and has good size at 6’4″, 311. He allowed 2 sacks to go alongside 24 pressures in 2023. The hope would be that he continues progressing in his development while working under the tutelage of Chris Kuper and alongside Christian Darrisaw.
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2) Jonathan Greenard, Houston Texans
Info & Intrigue: There is going to be competition for Mr. Greenard. Every team in the NFL is interested in employing 26-year-old edge rushers capable of picking up 12.5 sacks. His 22 QB hits from last season matches Danielle Hunter’s total and his 15 TFLs — while not on Hunter’s level — are similarly impressive. ESPN’s pass-rush win rate has Greenard in a tie for 6th overall among edge defenders. Of note: he piled up the gaudy stats while only playing 632 snaps.
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3) Kendall Fuller, Washington Commanders
Info & Intrigue: 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.
Read More: 5 Defensive Free Agents the Vikings Should Target
4) Denico Autry, Tennessee Titans
Info & Intrigue: Autry is old. At 33, the defensive end is closer to the end than the beginning. Even still, he’s super productive from within a position where the Vikings are desperate for help. The defender snagged 11.5 sacks last season as a 3-4 DE. Since taking over, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has tried and failed to address the position in the draft (Esezi Otomewo) and free agency (Dean Lowry). Autry looks like an excellent option who could be relatively cheap (his previous deal was at 3 years and $21.5 million). If the PFF projection — a single season at $7.25M — is accurate, the Vikings should be interested.
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5) Patrick Queen, Baltimore Ravens
Info & Intrigue: How does a 24-year-old do-it-all defender sound? The 6’0″, 230-pound Patrick Queen is a modern linebacker: less of a thumper and more of a playmaker. His coverage numbers are pretty tidy and he gobbles up tackles (250 over these past two seasons). He snagged 3.5 sacks last season and 5 the year prior. Last season, he was a second-team All Pro. The GM loves “blue” players and Queen qualifies.
Read More: Plundering the NFL’s All Pro Teams for 5 Pending Free Agents
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, Over the Cap, 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.