The Vikings’ Paper Thin Roster Spot is Getting No Love in Free Agency
Right now, the Vikings’ tight end position is paper thin, consisting of just two players: TE1 T.J. Hockenson and TE2 Josh Oliver.
The upside, of course, is that the pairing under consideration happens to be excellent. Both are in the prime of their career and happen to be among the league’s best at what they do. Hockenson is a tremendous pass catcher; Oliver is a wonderful blocker. But, to be sure, more help is needed at the position.
The Vikings’ Paper Thin Roster Spot: Tight End
Go ahead and ask Kevin O’Connell what he thinks of Johnny Mundt. The answer is sure to be very flattering.
The depth tight end travelled down to Jacksonville, joining both of Grant Udinski and Nick Mullens. Originally, Mundt and Kevin O’Connell worked together with the Rams, winning a Super Bowl for their troubles. Mundt then journeyed over to Minnesota with O’Connell, putting in considerable work across three seasons as a Viking.
Johnny Mundt played in all seventeen games in each season from 2022 to 2024. The tight end soaked up 1,100 snaps on offense and 436 snaps on special teams in that time.
Losing Mr. Mundt leaves a hole for Minnesota’s roster. So far, it hasn’t been filled.
Across a trio of drafts, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has only drafted a single tight end. The 2022 group included Nick Muse, someone who got snagged in the 7th. He’s no longer with the Vikings, but the possibility exists that he finds his way back to Minnesota in the future.
Minnesota, in theory, could snag a tight end in the 2025 NFL Draft, but they’re working with only four selections. Sinking one into a tight end isn’t necessarily a bad move but it’s one that comes at a cost: not being able to address more important positions like corner, edge rusher, offensive tackle, and other similarly vital spots.
So, too, could Adofo-Mensah look to the trade market. After all, that’s how he landed Mr. Hockenson. Keep in mind, as well, that Mr. Oliver was added as a free agent. So, there’s not a homegrown tight end in town. Instead, it’s a pair of high-end players who have been grafted onto the roster by the GM.
Sitting on more than $30 million in cap space, the Vikings definitely have the financial flexibility to bring someone in. The key detail is simply that any addition can’t be overly costly. After all, Minnesota has been working hard to earn those compensatory draft picks.
If a team was only to have a pair of tight ends, then having T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver is a nice spot to be. Both are 27-year-old pass catchers and both finished within the top-ten of PFF’s tight end rankings.
Nevertheless, the Vikings will need to add at least two or three more options to beef up the roster competition in the offseason. All talent acquisition methods — free agency, trade, draft, undrafted free agency — are options.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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 social media (Bluesky & Twitter). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.
