The Minnesota Vikings won’t be huge spenders in free agency this offseason, as they simply don’t have the budget even after making additional cap space by releasing Xavier Rhodes, Linval Joseph and David Morgan. That doesn’t mean they won’t be bringing in some new faces on both sides of the ball. Here are free-agent options for each major defensive position of need.
Nick Williams, Chicago Bears — Defensive Tackle
With the recent release of Joseph, the need for a defensive tackle shoots further up the Vikings’ list. The team got a first-hand taste last season of what kind of player Williams can be. He dominated the interior of the Vikings’ offensive line, blowing by both Pat Elflein and Garrett Bradbury on his way to a two-sack performance. Williams finished the 2019 season with a career-best six sacks and 42 tackles.
The Vikings need a guy who can create interior pressure on their defensive line and Williams definitely showed that’s a role he could fill.
The Vikings could get Williams at a pretty good price. Last season was the only productive one he’s had in his six-year career. His best season prior to his breakout 2019 performance was in 2015 when he had nine total tackles with the Kansas City Chiefs. Williams is also 30 years old, and that should put his asking price in a more affordable range. If the team brought him in, they’d probably use Shamar Stephen and Jaleel Johnson as the run stuffers and have Williams and Armon Watts be the guys who create pressure from the inside.
Williams isn’t a big name, but one whom the Vikings could benefit from signing by first taking him from a division rival, and then by inserting him in the middle of their defensive line, hoping he can repeat and build off last year’s surprising performance.
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Darqueze Dennard, Cincinnati Bengals — Cornerback
The Vikings’ need for cornerback help is by no means a mystery. As expected, they cut Rhodes, and now have to worry about losing both Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander in free agency. Their group of corners is going to be much younger next season with Mike Hughes, Holton Hill and Kris Boyd all returning, with likely a rookie or two added to the mix this April in the draft.
They’d love to add a veteran presence, and could use some of the nearly $20 million in cap space they recently freed up to go after a bigger-named free agent. Maybe they’d look at Dennard, who has spent the last six seasons with the Bengals.
Dennard is a very physical cornerback who isn’t afraid to get in the face of the man he’s covering. He’s a more-than-willing tackler and will definitely help in supporting the run game. He’s got 274 career tackles and three sacks. He’s broken up 22 passes but only has had three interceptions in his career, so he isn’t exactly a ballhawk.
The Vikings could find Dennard at a very affordable price. He is coming off a knee injury that cost him the first six weeks of the 2019 season. He only started five games last year, as he battled hamstring issues along with the knee problems, and only mustered 37 tackles. Dennard is 28 years old, so he’s still got a lot of football left in his body. If he passes a physical with the Vikings and they are all good with that knee, he could be brought in to lead this revamped and much younger cornerback group of the Vikings in 2020.
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Sean Davis, Pittsburgh Steelers — Safety
The Vikings slapped Anthony Harris with the franchise tag which means he’ll be back in Minnesota next season unless the team decides to trade him. This puts the need at safety down the board a bit, but the team is still very thin at the position with just Harrison Smith and Harris the only two currently on the roster. A guy they could look at that would fill out the depth chart is Davis, the former Pittsburgh Steeler.
Davis has only been in the league for four seasons but is coming off a shoulder injury that cost him almost all of the 2019 season. After he went down, the Steelers traded for Minkah Fitzpatrick and he played out of his mind for them, so there is no chance Davis gets his job back and that’s why he’ll be playing for a new team in 2020. That new team could be the Minnesota Vikings.
Davis has been extremely productive in his career when healthy. He’s totaled 247 career tackles with 2.5 sacks and five interceptions. He’s not quite the ballhawk Harris is but does create the occasional big play while also being a steady force against the run. Davis will be a little more expensive than some of the other free agent safeties available, due to his age and upside, but he could also give the Vikings position flexibility, as he played cornerback in college.
By signing a veteran like Davis, it bolsters the team’s depth at cornerback and safety and gives them a guy with experience and a chip on his shoulder looking to show the league the Steelers shouldn’t have moved on from him. It would also free the Vikings up from having to use a high draft pick on a safety and will allow them to address other areas of need in the first and second rounds like cornerback, or offensive tackle.
