NFL free agency is almost upon us. We are at the end of the legalized tampering window. New contracts with new teams can finally be signed today at 4pm. After some housecleaning last week, the Minnesota Vikings brought their available salary cap room to more than $40 million. They can be very active in free agency. I think that their spending will be more restrained than many would like but I do think that they'll make some significant moves. Some new players might even have a little experience with new Vikings new coaches.
The Vikings re-signed quarterback Matt Cassel and CB/PR Marcus Sherels on Friday. Then they went big and re-signed defensive end Everson Griffen on Sunday. After his one-year sabbatical in Arizona, linebacker Jasper Brinkley returned to Minnesota. The Vikings re-signed linebacker/special teams standout Larry Dean yesterday. That was an excellent start. It's always a good sign when you can bring back your own. Those signings likely left the Vikings just under $30 million.
I'd like to see the Vikings also re-sign:
CB Chris Cook
WR Jerome Simpson
OL Joe Berger
DT Fred Evans
DT Kevin Williams
Now, we have my ideas for the Minnesota Vikings free agency plans:
CB Alterraun Verner, Tennessee Titans
LB Vincent Rey, Cincinnati Bengals
DT Arthur Jones, Baltimore Ravens
RB Darren Sproles, New Orleans Saints
-maybe a guard and/or safety
That spending isn't too outrageous. A bunch of the talking-heads have pegged Bengals defensive end Michael Johnson as a Vikings free agent target for a while. They feel that the connection to Zimmer makes this automatic. I don't always buy into the coach-player connections that the media routinely makes but this one I do buy. It's tough see this happening with Everson Griffen re-signed. I don't see the Vikings spending the money that it took to keep Griffen and add Johnson. If they did, it would make for a real nice rotation on the edge of the line. Typically, 25-year old corners as skilled as Verner don't become available. Vikings secondary coach Jerry Gray was Verner's defensive coordinator with the Titans. That's no guarantee that Verner wants to continue his career with Gray but it does mean that Gray knows the dedication and long-term potential of Verner. Pairing Verner opposite Xavier Rhodes would be outstanding. Rey is a restricted free agent so the Bengals have the opportunity to match any contract offered to him. They put the lowest tender on him. I think that was a mistake. As an undrafted free agent, the Bengals would get no compensation if Rey signed with another team. If Vincent Rey is ready to start, Zimmer would know. All I know is that Rey was terrific when the Bengals played the Vikings in week 16 last season. Jones is a player that has intrigued me for a couple of seasons. Players like Jones, that play in a defense like the Ravens, seem to get pigeon-holed as a 3-4 defensive end. Some people simply refuse to see them as 4-3 tackles. I think that he could be a dynamic presence next to last year's top draft pick Sharrif Floyd. Until I see the Vikings make some personnel moves with Zimmer at the helm, I'm not convinced that the new defense needs a big-body tackle in the middle of the defensive line. It's not like Jones is small. He's about 6'3" and 320 lbs. If Zimmer does want that big body, Linval Joseph of the New York Giants would be an excellent addition. The Saints released Sproles on Friday. New offensive coordinator Norv Turner has been known to rave about the comfort that Sproles provided Philip Rivers as an outlet receiver. Sproles could provide a similar comfort for Cassel, or whoever is under center next season.
Guard and safety are positions of concern for the Vikings but the players to fill those spots might already be on the team. The fact that no one has a firm grasp on the positions means that the team could look outside of the organization. With the draft still ahead, I don't think that those positions are as much of a concern in free agency as some of the other positions.
Outside of Sproles, the players that I have the Vikings signing in free agency play defense. It makes sense as the defense was horrible last year. With Mike Zimmer running the show now. the defense will improve. I think that these players will further improve the defense.
The fun and games start today.
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