Not a bad job by Kwesi and company
The majority of the NFL’s annual free agent signing frenzy is officially over and done with, and the Minnesota Vikings have gotten high marks for what they’ve done so far this offseason.
Behind the great E$PN paywall, Ben Solak has ranked the free agency classes of all 32 NFL teams, and has put our favorite team at #3 overall for what Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and company have done since the new league year started. He’s broken things down about what he “loved” about each class and what he didn’t love, so let’s take a look at what he had to say.
I loved: The investment in the offensive line. Fries was one of my top free agent gems — he’s one of the best players nobody knows about, and he should make a big push for a Pro Bowl spot at guard if he fully recovers from his tibia injury. The need at guard was obvious; the need at center was far more subtle. I thought the Vikings would happily play out another year with Garrett Bradbury at the pivot, surrendering his pass protection issues for his running game value. Instead, they did what true contenders do and tried to upgrade not just at the needy positions, but also the average ones. I’m not sure it will work — Kelly (31) is older than Bradbury (29) — but it’s a good risk to take.
You know, for as long as I’ve been running this site, it seems like the offensive line has been an issue in some way, shape, or form. We’ve been saying for a few years now that the Vikings have the tackle situation figured out with Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill. . .and we’re counting on a return to form for Darrisaw after his knee injury here. . .but the interior has been a mess for most of the last couple of decades. By signing Kelly and Fries, the Vikings have taken a pretty significant step towards fixing that. Don’t discount the time that those two have spent as teammates, either. Their level of communication won’t be an issue here, and given the issues that the Vikings have had with stunts and other things among their interior offensive lineman in recent years, we should finally be at a point where we see a bit less of that.
I didn’t love: Just how much Jonathan Allen cost. In general, double-dipping at 3-technique opposite Harrison Phillips is a shrewd approach, and both Allen and Javon Hargrave can provide an immediate impact. I did not, however, expect Allen to tip the financial scales at $17 million per year. The entire defensive tackle market came in above my expectation, so perhaps this was just the cost of doing business.
Allen is now the league’s 15th-highest-paid defensive tackle, and Hargrave ($15 million per year) is the 18th. While Allen might have been more expensive than I expected (and Hargrave too, for that matter), the theory behind the approach is sound. I just wish it came at a smaller price tag.
For as good as Brian Flores’ defense has been during his time in Minnesota, the biggest weakness has been the ability to push the pocket from the interior. The Vikings have had no issue getting pressure from the edges, but quarterbacks have too frequently been able to step up in the pocket to buy themselves time. Sure, Allen and Hargrave both came with premium price tags, but if you’re going to fix a problem, there’s nothing wrong with doing something definitive to get the job done. If Allen and Hargrave can return to form. . .particularly Hargrave, who is coming off of an injury that cost him most of last year. . .it’s going to bring an entirely new dimension to Minnesota’s defense.
The only two teams that wound up ranking higher on Solak’s list were the Buffalo Bills at #1 and the Los Angeles Rams at #2.
What do you think of this Vikings’ free agency ranking, folks? What did you love and not love about the way the Vikings have handled their business so far this offseason?