Additions:
Harrison Phillips, DT
Jordan Hicks, LB
Johnny Mundt, TE
Austin Schlottman, G/C
Losses:
Xavier Woods, S - Carolina Panthers
Mason Cole, G/C - Pittsburgh Steelers
Tyler Conklin, TE - New York Jets
With the Vikings-Jets free agency relationship, the deal with Conklin shouldn’t be considered done until he’s in a Jets uniform.
If one is tracking potential 2023 compensatory picks, the above free agency exchange might garner the Vikings one, maybe even two, later round picks.
Harrison Phillips and Jordan Hicks will step in as starters in the Vikings defense. Phillips can probably play anywhere in the team’s new three-man front. At a listed 307 lbs, he doesn’t carry the usual bulk of the usual nose tackle. He does have the strength and ability to shed blocks to play over the center. It’ll be fun to see how the new coaching staff takes advantage of Phillips’ versatility. Hicks will pair nicely with Eric Kendricks in the middle of the Vikings defense. With the addition of the two, the Vikings front seven got better.
Johnny Mundt and Austin Schlottman are now Vikings because of their relationships with some of the Vikings new coaches. Despite catching only ten passes over five seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and coming off of an October torn ACL, Mundt is a very interesting addition. Vikings new head coach Kevin O’Connell was his offensive coordinator the last two season. Vikings new offensive coordinator Wes Phillips was his position coach. The Vikings offensive architects know their new tight end well. For the Rams, Mundt was mostly on the field for his blocking. O’Connell and Phillips promise that he’ll be targeted in the Vikings offense more than he was targeted in the Rams offense. Seeing as Mundt is rehabbing a torn ACL, it’s reassuring that new Vikings trainer Tyler Williams was part of that process with the Rams. He knows the state of that knee better than anyone. Since the close of the 2021 season, I wasn’t too optimistic about Tyler Conklin’s return. I was less optimistic of his return when Mundt’s signing was announced. I really like Conklin. He was a nice TE2 pair with Irv Smith Jr. When Smith was lost for the season before the season even started, Conklin was solid in 2021 as the team’s top tight end. He’s in New York now. Mundt’s in Minnesota now. Smith should return and be the impact player player that he has the talent to be. Mundt’s blocking and ability to line up all over the field should be a nice compliment. At 6’6” and 300 lbs, Schlottman brings interesting dimensions to the Vikings interior offensive line. Despite having seven starts and 42 games played with the Denver Broncos, he’s got to be seen as a project. He’s a project that new Vikings coaches know well. New offensive line coach Chris Kuper and new assistant offensive line coach Justin Rascoti coached Schlottman in Denver. The coaches that know him best saw him as a player to bring with them to Minnesota. That’s good enough for me.
The losses.
Xavier Woods played well in his lone season with the Vikings. I felt that his time in Minnesota would be brief as soon as Camryn Bynum was selected in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. If the Vikings had to play a game now, the swap of Woods for Bynum would be a downgrade. By September, I believe that it will be an upgrade. Bynum is a smart, instinctive football player. He’s ready to start. Just as he did in college at Cal, he’ll evolve into a team leader and impact player.
It can be argued that the Vikings 2021 offensive line got better when Mason Cole was on the field. Judging from the grumbling heard daily, I might be the lone Vikings fan with remaining hopes for center Garrett Bradbury. I know that he has to be better. I also know that he can do some things that few, if any, of the league’s centers can do. I want to see what a new offensive coaching staff and a new scheme can do with Bradbury. I’d rather see him get an opportunity to improve those things that need improving before I write him off as first-round bust. Despite having nothing to go on but his college career, I believe that Wyatt Davis will emerge as the Vikings right guard. With those offensive line hopes, I really only saw Cole as a high-end back-up and perhaps safeguard for Bradbury or Davis. It would’ve been nice to have him stay in Minnesota but he deserves an opportunity to be a starter. Maybe Schlottman emerges as a respectable swing interior lineman.
It’s on to Day 2.
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