The majority of the NFL’s free agency period has officially wrapped up, and the Minnesota Vikings have earned high praise for their offseason moves so far.
Behind the ESPN paywall, Ben Solak has ranked the free agency efforts of all 32 NFL teams, placing the Vikings at #3 overall for the work Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and his team have done since the start of the new league year. He highlighted what he liked and didn’t like about each team’s moves, so let’s take a look at his analysis.
What I liked: The focus on improving the offensive line. Fries was one of my top underrated free agent picks — he’s one of the best players that hardly anyone knows about, and if he fully recovers from his tibia injury, he could be a strong candidate for a Pro Bowl spot at guard. The need at guard was clear, but the need for a center was more subtle.
I thought the Vikings might stick with Garrett Bradbury at center for another year, accepting his pass protection struggles due to his value in the running game. Instead, they did what true contenders do: they aimed to upgrade not just at the most pressing positions but also at more average ones. While I’m not sure if it will work — Kelly (31) is older than Bradbury (29) — it’s a smart risk to take.
For as long as I’ve been following the team, the offensive line has always been a concern in one form or another. For years, we’ve said the tackle situation is sorted with Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill. We’re hopeful Darrisaw will return to his previous form after his knee injury, but the interior line has been problematic for much of the past two decades.
By signing Kelly and Fries, the Vikings are making a major move toward fixing that. Also, don’t overlook the chemistry these two have from playing together, which should help avoid some of the miscommunication issues that have plagued the Vikings’ interior line in recent years.
What I didn’t love: The high cost of Jonathan Allen. In general, adding a second 3-technique defensive tackle alongside Harrison Phillips was a smart strategy, and both Allen and Javon Hargrave can make an immediate impact. However, I was surprised by Allen’s price tag, which came in at $17 million per year. The entire defensive tackle market came in higher than I expected, so maybe that’s just the going rate now.
Allen is now the 15th-highest-paid defensive tackle in the league, and Hargrave, at $15 million per year, is 18th. While the price might have been higher than expected, the logic behind the approach is sound. I just wish it had come at a lower cost.
Brian Flores’ defense in Minnesota has been strong, but one weakness has been the inability to pressure from the interior. The Vikings have been able to generate edge pressure, but quarterbacks have often been able to step up into the pocket to buy more time. Even though Allen and Hargrave are costly, if you’re going to address a problem, it makes sense to take decisive action. If both can return to form — especially Hargrave, who missed most of last year due to injury — this will bring a new dynamic to Minnesota’s defense.
The only two teams that ranked higher than the Vikings on Solak’s list were the Buffalo Bills at #1 and the Los Angeles Rams at #2.
What do you think about the Vikings’ free agency ranking? What did you like or dislike about the way they’ve handled their business this offseason?
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