Justin Houston, Dede Westbrook, and Three Other Free Agents Who Could Help the Vikings
Few people would disagree that the Vikings have had a prolific and successful offseason this year. They've signed ten defensive players in free agency alone — at least half of whom project as starters — including standouts like Patrick Peterson, Dalvin Tomlinson, Xavier Woods, Sheldon Richardson, and Bashaud Breeland. They used the draft to add two potential starting offensive linemen and a backup quarterback with upside.
Only time will tell how these moves end up working out, but as of right now, there's no doubt that it's been a strong offseason for Rick Spielman, Mike Zimmer, Rob Brzezinski, and company as they look to build a Super Bowl contender in 2021.
But why stop now? The moves the Vikings have already made, many of them of the one-year variety, are those of a team that is going all in on this season. Minnesota's decision-makers see a division that is up for grabs due to the Aaron Rodgers situation in Green Bay, an offense that was fantastic last year despite struggles up front, and a defense that was dominant for five years prior to last year's debacle.
So why not keep adding to it? The Vikings have done well to preserve cap space by moving on from expensive veterans, signing guys like Richardson to bargain deals, and restructuring a number of players' contracts, including Danielle Hunter most recently. As of late June, they have over $13 million to spend.
With that in mind, here are five free agents who could help the Vikings in 2021.
Edge rusher Melvin Ingram
Let me preface this by saying that I think Ingram coming to the Vikings is a longshot. He's already taken visits with the Chiefs and Dolphins and has been linked to teams like the 49ers and Chargers. Minnesota might only be looking for cheap one-year deals at this point (assuming they're looking at all), and Ingram should still have a solid market across the league. Lastly, he's a little undersized for what the Vikings like in their DEs — see the Yannick Ngakoue fiasco last year. But if they can make it work, this would be a big-time addition at the Vikings' biggest area of weakness. Despite missing over half of last season due to injury, Ingram was highly effective, averaging four pressures per game. Prior to 2020, he had at least seven sacks in five straight years, including a dominant 2017 campaign with 10.5 sacks, 76 pressures, and an 89.6 PFF pass rushing grade.
Ingram should still have plenty left in the tank at 32 years old. Arguably the top player left on the market regardless of position, he would complete this Vikings defense and potentially push it over the top as one of the truly elite units in the NFL.
Edge rusher Justin Houston
Another 32-year-old edge rusher who will have plenty of suitors is Houston, who has somewhat quietly been a dominant force for the last decade. He has racked up 97.5 sacks in his ten seasons, including 22 in 2014. Most encouragingly, after a couple down seasons following that first team All-Pro season, Houston has had at least 8.0 sacks in four straight years, including 19 over the past two seasons with the Colts. He can still get it done at a very high level and might even be a safer bet than Ingram given that he's not coming off any injuries.
Houston transitioned from playing OLB in Kansas City to playing DE in Indy, which is another reason he'd be a great fit in Minnesota. He's got the size (listed at 270 pounds, compared to Ingram's 247) to be more than just a rotational pass rusher. Either Houston or Ingram would instantly jump into Minnesota's starting lineup ahead of Stephen Weatherly, giving their pass rush a huge lift. I think Houston's fit makes more sense and thus is more realistic.
Other available edge rushers not on the Ingram and Houston tier include Olivier Vernon, Everson Griffen, Trent Murphy, and Adrian Clayborn.
Linebacker K.J. Wright
Outside of that second DE spot, the Vikings are set pretty much everywhere else on defense. The one other position that could conceivably be upgraded is linebacker. Eric Kendricks is a stud, but Anthony Barr hadn't been great prior to missing almost all of last season with a torn pec and the Vikings' LB3 battle consists of middling vets Nick Vigil and Ryan Connelly competing with young guys like Troy Dye and Chazz Surratt. It may not be the most pressing need, but there's room to add another proven option at LB. Wright would be exactly that. The longtime Seahawk has been a consistently good player who has had some outstanding seasons and shown great durability.
The Vikings adding Wright to their LB room would be similar to how they added Richardson to a DT room that already had two proven starters. It would put some pressure on Barr and create a deadly base 4-3 package along with giving Mike Zimmer plenty of freedom to be creative with his rotations and personnel groups. However, Wright may want to go somewhere with a clearer path to a full-time role.
Wide receiver Dede Westbrook
If the Vikings have one clear hole on offense, it's at the No. 3 receiver spot. After Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen, their options are Chad Beebe, Bisi Johnson, K.J. Osborn, and a few rookies led by fifth-rounder Ihmir Smith-Marsette. That's a passable group. but there's not a lot there. The Vikings reportedly had preliminary conversations with Westbrook back in May, and there's an obvious connection there with former Jaguars WRs coach Keenan McCardell now holding that same role in Minnesota. Westbrook is a former Biletnikoff winner who averaged 66 catches, 689 yards, and 4 TDs between 2018 and 2019 in Jacksonville. He would give the Vikings a reliable WR3 option and potential punt returner, but his past domestic violence arrests are worth noting in the light of the Jeff Gladney situation.
Guard Trai Turner
Update: Turner signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Steelers on Thursday after the release of David DeCastro. There are rumors about DeCastro considering retirement due to a serious ankle injury, but the Vikings should be interested in him if he wants to continue playing.
Turner is someone I wrote about a few times back when the Vikings' guard situation was more of a disaster than it is now. The five-time Pro Bowler with the Panthers had an injury-ravaged 2020 season but is apparently back at 100 percent and visited with the Steelers last week. Even though the Vikings have Ezra Cleveland and third-round rookie Wyatt Davis penciled in as their starters at guard, bringing in Turner for depth couldn't possibly hurt. It would give them a buffer guy if Davis isn't immediately ready to play on a win-now team, which isn't something they currently have on the roster. Turner, even if he doesn't fully bounce back from last year, is still substantially better than the likes of Mason Cole, Dakota Dozier, and Dru Samia. It would surprise me if the Vikings added another offensive lineman, but it might be a savvy move to add competition and depth to a position that was the Achilles heel of the Vikings' offense last season.
Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Vikings news and analysis all offseason long. Also, follow me on Twitter and feel free to ask me any questions on there.
