Will the Vikings Sign a Veteran Free Agent Safety to Compete With Cam Bynum?

The Vikings have been busy in free agency this offseason, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. They shored up the front seven with Za'Darius Smith, Harrison Phillips, and Jordan Hicks, then addressed the cornerback position by re-signing Patrick Peterson and bringing in Chandon Sullivan and Nate Hairston.

The one defensive position group they haven't bolstered in free agency is safety. Xavier Woods, who started alongside Harrison Smith last year and played every single snap across 17 games, signed a three-year deal with the Panthers. That means that 2021 fourth-round pick Cam Bynum is currently penciled in as the starter opposite Smith. Third-year players Myles Dorn and Josh Metellus — who have a combined 70 defensive snaps in two years, all by Metellus — are the only other safeties on the roster right now.

Bynum may end up retaining that spot when the season opener rolls around in September. He flashed a ton of ability in games against the Ravens and Chargers last year when Smith was on the COVID list, recording a diving interception, a sack, a PBU, and 18 tackles in those two games. His entire rookie season was a small sample size of 211 defensive snaps, but PFF graded him highly in every area of play.

Bynum, who turns 24 this summer, has a lot of potential. But again, he's only played 211 snaps in his career. The Vikings can't just assume that his production will extrapolate to a successful full season as a starter in 2022. He was a cornerback at California who converted to safety last year and still has more to learn about the position.

Before the offseason really gets going with OTAs in May, the Vikings will have added at least one safety, and likely more. They've hosted a pair of draft prospects at the position — Illinois's Kerby Joseph and Louisiana's Percy Butler — for visits this week. Minnesota has eight draft picks and numerous college free agent slots with which they can add a safety or two.

But unless they take a top safety with one of their first few picks, that won't help the issue of needing a fall-back option if Bynum struggles to seize the job. The Vikings are a veteran-laden team that has made it clear they're in win-now mode. That's why it wouldn't surprise me to see GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah bring in a veteran free agent safety who can compete with Bynum and elevate the floor at that position.

Interestingly enough, there are a bunch of safeties still out there who have significant starting experience. Tyrann Mathieu is arguably the top overall unsigned free agent, but he's not a realistic option for the Vikings for financial reasons. Here's a look at the next tier, along with their most recent team and some notable numbers.

Kareem Jackson, Broncos — 34 years old, 168 starts
Landon Collins, Commanders — 28 years, 94 starts, 3 Pro Bowls, 1 All-Pro
Rodney McLeod, Eagles — 32 years old, 123 starts
Tashaun Gipson, Bears — 32 years old, 132 starts
Jaquiski Tartt, 49ers — 30 years old, 64 starts
Damontae Kazee, Cowboys — 29 years old, 49 starts
Ronnie Harrison, Browns — 25 years old, 40 starts
Terrell Edmunds, Steelers — 25 years old, 60 starts
DeShon Elliott, Ravens — 25 years old, 22 starts

There are a few others, but those are the most notable names out there. All of them would provide competition for Bynum, who has just three career starts.

It sounds like at least one agent for a FA safety is aware of the potential opportunity in Minnesota. From KSTP and SKOR North insider Darren Wolfson:

"I hear that there's one veteran safety that's pretty good — not Honey Badger [Tyrann Mathieu], who's visiting the Saints today, I haven't heard Honey Badger steam — but another pretty good safety, at least a guy who's shown he can play in the league, that views this as a very interesting opportunity. It's more his agent trying to drive the bus, trying to get him in for a visit, trying to convince the Vikings to take a long look at his client, but I'm not told that the Vikings are hanging up the phone. Whether it's a veteran safety or drafting a safety, I fully expect them to bring in someone to compete with Cam Bynum."

Wolfson didn't say who that safety is, but it could easily be one of the guys on the list above.

One thing the Vikings have seemed to value in free agency thus far is familiarity. So if we're using that as a guiding tool, a few players stand out. Jackson was with defensive coordinator Ed Donatell in Denver and would bring a ton of experience. Collins overlapped with Kevin O'Connell in Washington for one season. Adofo-Mensah, O'Connell, and assistant DBs coach Roy Anderson all overlapped with Tartt in San Francisco at one point. And Harrison was with Adofo-Mensah in Cleveland for the last two years.

This could be a situation where the Vikings wait to see how the draft plays out before deciding if they want to bring in a veteran safety. There's plenty of supply, so they likely aren't in any big rush. But whether it happens soon, in a month, or later in the summer, it wouldn't be a surprise to see them add a veteran to that room to compete with Bynum for the starting job.

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