The Minnesota Vikings have made a trade for LT Cam Robinson. The big day everyone is talking about is Tuesday, the NFL trade deadline. There are always rumors floating around and media outlets pointing out the obvious. The Lions are likely to look for a pass rusher to replace Aiden Hutchinson, like the Vikings did at LT when Christian Darrisaw went down. The Texans might pick up a WR to replace Stephon Diggs, who tore his ACL last Sunday. Injuries, teams losing who want to dump contracts and contenders who just need that one guy, there is extra incentive to make moves now.
The question is, have the Vikings made their final move of the year already? The team is very limited in draft picks the next few years. Kwesi has given a lot away to move around in the draft. His results in the draft have been mixed at best.
I loathe the notion that floats around from some fans this time of year, “They’re not going to win the Super Bowl this year”. Man, the Packers won from the Wild Card spot. They lost 3 out of 4 games in Weeks 12-15. They went to Detroit and put up 3 points. The Bucs with Brady were 7-5 and had lost 3 out of 4 before their bye in Week 13. They never lost another game. The Steelers won their first with Big Ben from the 6 seed. The Eagles certainly weren’t thinking Super Bowl when Wentz went down and we know how that ended. Stop worrying about if they can win a Super Bowl and realize they can. No one is likely to win it. The Chiefs are not likely to win the Super Bowl this year. It’s freaking hard.
So, now that my rant is over, will the Vikings make another move? The Vikings haven’t allowed a lot of yards on the ground this year, but they’ve also only face 152 run plays, the least in the league. The team is phenomenal in the 1st quarter (+62) and worse than mid (-11) the rest of the game. It’s the 3rd biggest 1st quarter margin since 2000 through 7 games (NE was +65 in 2007 and +63 in 2019). So, it leads the opponents to pass a lot. The pass rush the beginning of the year was effective, but is starting to dwindle. Teams are seeing they can pass quickly and avoid the Flores blitz. What upgrades are available at positions can help finish off the games?
- Defensive Tackle – the big splash move would be Dexter Lawrence. Everyone is assuming he’s available because the Giants are losing. Lawrence is under contract through 2027 at a reasonable price. He’d be very, expensive. Like multiple 1sts expensive. A more realistic target could be Calais Campbell from the Dolphins. It’d be a win now move, like Cam Robinson. Campbell is 38 and looking for a ring. Our old friend Dalvin Tomlinson might also be available from the Browns.
- Pass Rusher – I saw pass rush because 3-4 DEs and LBs can sometimes get a bit muddled. You’d probably compete with the Lions on any quality names. Max Crosby is the big name because the Raiders stink. Just like Sexy Dexy, he’s under contract for a few years at a good price. Multiple 1sts is what it would take. Za’Darius Smith might be available from the Browns, but he doesn’t seem interest in returning to Minnesota. Emmanuel Ogbah from the Dolphins or Chase Young from the Saints could be two options that come with moderate price tags and upside potential. They are both free agents after this year.
- Wide Receiver – For whatever reason, Addison has not been as productive this year. Also, Jalen Nailor has made a lot of mistakes so far. The team could use a WR 2 / 3 upgrade if they want to be serious contenders. I am a huge fan of Addison and think they just need to get him the ball more, but maybe some competition will help too. Former Viking, KJ Osbourn from the Pats and Darius Slayton from the Giants might be options. The Packers are rumored to be looking to trade one of their handful of receivers. However, I don’t think they’re going to make that trade mid season to the Vikings.
I don’t think they have the draft picks available to trade for depth on the OL, CB, MLB, etc. That’s the price for moving up in the draft. My gut feeling says the team is done making moves, but I would love any of the trades I mentioned above. Even if it is multiple 1sts for a game changing player. There is a window here. They can’t just let it slip because this year isn’t the year. You never can tell when it truly is the year.