NFL Cap Casualties: Jurrell Casey, Adam Humphries, Other Potential Vikings Targets
With free agency right around the corner, it's cap casualty season. Teams are using this period of time to release certain players with large cap hits, creating salary cap space on their books before the start of the new league year on March 17th.
The Vikings have their own potential cap casualties, including Kyle Rudolph, Riley Reiff, Shamar Stephen, and a handful of others. Those moves could happen soon, or they could take place closer to when free agency begins.
But for now, let's run through some of the recent players released by their teams and speculate on whether the Vikings should be interested in their services. I've already covered released players like J.J. Watt, Nick Easton, Kawann Short, and Stephen Weatherly, as well as likely cap casualty Geno Atkins, if you'd like to check any of those out.
Broncos DT Jurrell Casey
The longtime Titans defensive tackle — who racked up 51 sacks in nine seasons in Nashville — was traded to the Broncos last offseason. Unfortunately, injuries held him to just three games in 2020. At 31, Casey can still be a productive interior pass rusher if healthy. He was set to have a cap hit of nearly $12 million in 2021, which is why the Broncos released him. Coming off of a bicep tear, Casey won't make that much on his next contract. He could be a great fit for the Vikings, depending on price.
Titans WR Adam Humphries
The Titans released Humphries on Thursday after two injury-marred seasons. The slot receiver, who will be 28 next season, had fewer than 600 receiving yards in two seasons with Tennessee, playing 19 games during that time. Prior to joining the Titans, Humphries exceeded 600 yards in three straight seasons with the Buccaneers, including 816 yards and five touchdowns in 2018. He would be an interesting WR3 option for the Vikings. Both Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen can play on the outside, with Humphries in the slot. He'd be an upgrade from Chad Beebe, but how much would he cost?
Chargers WR Tyrell Williams
Another wide receiver to hit the FA market, Williams had been fairly consistent with his production until missing all of last year with an injury. The 29-year-old wideout had a 1,000-yard season with the Chargers in 2016 but his numbers fell to 650-750 yards per season from 2017 to 2019. At 6'4", he's a big receiver who is a weapon in the red zone. He could be an intriguing fit in Minnesota alongside Jefferson and Thielen. Williams probably wouldn't be my top WR3 target, though.
Texans G Senio Kelemete
The Vikings are desperately in need of a solid veteran guard to replace Dakota Dozier. Kelemete could be an option, although he wouldn't be a particularly inspiring one. He had some decent years with the Saints, but his last couple years in Houston have been riddled with injury issues. If he's cheap, Kelemete would absolutely be an upgrade from Dozier but wouldn't be a guaranteed above-average starter by any means.
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