The Minnesota Vikings appeared to be done with pre-draft free agency. That changed on Monday when the Vikings added cornerback Joejuan Williams to the roster. The New England Patriots traded up 11 spots in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft to select Williams. The Patriots clearly saw great potential in the big cornerback out of Vanderbilt. At 6’3” and 212lbs, Williams is a uniquely sized corner. It’s safe to say that he didn’t live up that potential in New England. He never could crack the starting lineup and he missed all of last season with a shoulder injury suffered in the first preseason game. The good is that Williams is only 25, he still has that unique size, he still has the talent that he showed in college, and he’s familiar with the defense that Brian Flores is likely to install in Minnesota. The Vikings need cornerback depth and Williams provides it.
Minnesota Vikings Free Agency Ledger
Players re-signed:
Nick Mullens, QB
Alexander Mattison, RB
Garrett Bradbury, C
Ben Ellefson, TE
Blake Brandel, OT
Khyiris Tonga, DT
Kenny Willekes, DE
Greg Joseph, K
Andrew DePaola, LS
Austin Schlottman, C
Olisaemeka Udoh, OT
Jonathan Bullard, DT
Players signed:
Josh Oliver, TE
Marcus Davenport. Edge
Byron Murphy Jr., CB
Dean Lowry, DE
Brandon Powell, WR
Troy Reeder, LB
JoeJuan Williams, CB
Players signed elsewhere:
Eric Kendricks, LB - Los Angeles Chargers
Adam Thielen, WR - Carolina Panthers
Patrick Peterson, CB - Pittsburgh Steelers
Dalvin Tomlinson, DT - Cleveland Browns
Duke Shelley, CB - Las Vegas Raiders
Irv Smith Jr., TE - Cincinnati Bengals
Kris Boyd, CB - Arizona Cardinals
The Vikings started the offseason with 4 restricted and 15 unrestricted free agents. Eric Kendricks and Adam Thielen were released before the start of free agency and added to the list. Thomas Hennigan was released later in the offseason. 12 of the Vikings free agents have been re-signed. Kendricks, Thielen, Peterson, Tomlinson, Shelley, Smith, and Boyd have settled in with new teams. Two of the unrestricted free agents remain unsigned. Hennigan makes it three former Vikings still on the open market.
Unsigned free agents:
Chandon Sullivan, CB
Olabisi Johnson, WR
Thomas Hennigan, WR
The Vikings are still uncomfortably close to the salary cap. For that reason, they have decisions to make on the contracts of Dalvin Cook and Za’Darius Smith. Depending on one’s perspective, the re-signing of Alexander Mattison either further complicates or makes easy the decision on Cook’s roster status. The same can be said of the signing of Marcus Davenport on Za’Darius Smith’s roster status. The thought of three elite pass rushers (Danielle Hunter, Davenport, and Smith) on the roster is intriguing but it’s tough to do when the team is so tight against the salary cap. I’m much more conflicted with Cook’s situation. I hate the thought of losing him. I don’t think that he’s regressed anywhere near as much as many people seem to believe. The Vikings issues with the run game last season were a team-thing rather than a Cook-thing. In a couple of the most memorable games in a very memorable season, it was an explosive play by Cook that ignited comebacks. He’s also a team leader. The Vikings have lost enough of those this offseason. Hopefully, we see a resolution with the Smith and Cook situations soon.
The offseason continues to march on.
No comments:
Post a Comment