Vikings Free Agency Tracker: Carlos Dunlap, Kyle Long Among Latest Available

The official start of free agency is just over a week away. Starting later this week and heading into next week, I'll be compiling lists of available free agents at each of the Vikings' major positions of need.

But for now, let's focus on some of the players who have just recently become available and could make sense for Minnesota. This list includes some notable cap casualties, non-tendered players, and non-franchise tagged stars who have officially hit the market over the past couple days.

Carlos Dunlap, DE

Dunlap was released by the Seahawks on Monday, creating a whopping $14 million in cap space. If the Vikings wanted to splurge on a veteran edge rusher, Dunlap could be an interesting option. He spent the first four years of his career playing for the Bengals and then-defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, and his DC for the next four years in Cincy was Paul Guenther, who is also on the Vikings' coaching staff. That's a lot of familiarity. The 32-year-old Dunlap had an up-and-down 2020 but has been one of the more consistently productive edge rushers in the NFL over the past decade. The question, of course, is how much he'll cost.

James Carpenter, G

A couple days ago, I wrote about how a bunch of starting-caliber guards were becoming available (or expected to become available soon), and how that was good news for the Vikings, who desperately need a competent left guard. Well, here's another potential option to keep in mind, as Carpenter was released by the Falcons. He's about to turn 32 and played under Rick Dennison with the Jets in 2018. However, Carpenter might not be a great scheme fit and has been fairly average for the past four seasons. He'd be an upgrade from Dakota Dozier, but the Vikings can probably do better.

Kalif Raymond, WR/Returner

Raymond was an RFA who wasn't tendered by the Titans. He makes a lot of sense for the Vikings as a deep threat and return specialist. The 5'8" speedster wouldn't be a major WR3 addition, but he did torch the Vikings for 118 yards on three catches last Week 3. He could also return punts and potentially kickoffs as well, and shouldn't break the bank.

Adrian Clayborn, DE

If the Vikings are looking for more of a bargain with a veteran DE, Clayborn could be their guy. He has changed teams in each of the past three offseasons, and this will become the fourth as he was released by the Browns on Tuesday. Clayborn didn't do much in Cleveland last year, but had three strong seasons prior to that and still has some gas left in the tank at 33.

Kyle Long, G

Long is in a completely different category than the other names on this list — he's coming out of retirement. The former Bears guard is 32 years old and has been a very good player throughout his entire career. The issue is that he was hit by a wave of injuries starting in 2016, eventually leading to his retirement. If he's finally healthy, he'd be a huge pickup for the Vikings.

Non-franchise tagged players who are unlikely splurges for the Vikings:

Carl Lawson, DE
Romeo Okwara, DE
William Jackson, CB
Joe Thuney, G
Will Fuller, WR

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