Vikings Made the 4th Best “Move” in NFL This Offseason
The Minnesota Vikings were one of the most active teams this offseason with a ton of cap space to make moves. GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has attempted to land another sweet free agency class and addressed some of the team’s long-nagging weaknesses.
Vikings Made the 4th Best “Move” in NFL This Offseason
Many were impressed with how intentional he was about fixing the offensive and defensive lines, and the latest analyst to notice it comes from Bleacher Report.
Bleacher Report’s List
BR’s Gary Davenport ranked the 25 best moves this offseason, and although it was not a singular move, the Vikings’ approach to fix the trenches landed fourth on the list.
He wrote: “After winning 14 games last year but faltering in the postseason, the Vikings went hard at the offensive and defensive lines in the offseason. The former added center Ryan Kelly and guards Will Fries and Donovan Jackson, while the defensive line added a pair of high-dollar tackles in Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave. This isn’t going to be an easy team to push around at the snap in 2025.”
There’s no doubt about it, the trenches on both sides of the ball have been a struggle for years. The club has put some resources into the offensive line over the years, but they have never been this purposeful about getting the job done.
New Offensive Line
Well, acceptance is the first step towards improvement, and the Vikings realized the blocking unit had to get fixed. Right after the playoff loss, Kevin O’Connell was pretty adamant about it.
The next step was to acquire two of the best free agents among interior linemen, and the Vikings signed former Colts center Ryan Kelly and guard Will Fries. Both should provide immediate upgrades. Then, the club got rid of Ed Ingram and Garrett Bradbury while also allowing Dalton Risner to walk.
And finally, the first-round draft pick was used to select Ohio State guard Donovan Jackson.
Suddenly, three new starters arrived in the Twin Cities. Kelly and Fries are unquestioned starters, while Jackson will compete with Blake Brandel, whom he should beat.
New Defensive Line
On the other side of the ball, Adofo-Mensah emphasized that they need to be able to get after the quarterback without sending blitzes. The Rams and Lions totally blew up Brian Flores’ blitzes, and they didn’t have the personnel to counter.
Well, now he does. Jonathan Allen came to visit the Vikings and then signed on the second day of free agency. When Minnesota was still celebrating the big-time signing, reports surfaced about Javon Hargrave wanting to join him.
Both are two-time Pro Bowlers and massive upgrades, especially in the passing game. The Vikings haven’t had a Pro Bowl-caliber interior pass rusher since Kevin Williams in the early 2010s, and now they have two of them.
Successful playoff teams are built through the trenches, and the Vikings have made a crucial step in the right direction. At least on paper, those flaws are gone.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.
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