As the Minnesota Vikings prepare for the offseason, they must figure out how to spend their limited resources to improve the roster. Limited resources, whether it’s cap space or draft picks, means they won’t be able to just fix every position with the best player available.
To figure out how to spend most efficiently, I’ve ranked each of the Vikings’ needs, considering the urgency of adding a player at the position and the cost.
Basic Football Needs
The Vikings don’t have a starter under contract at quarterback and edge rusher, and both positions are critical to a football team’s success. If Minnesota doesn’t spend a significant amount to rectify these positions, the offseason will be a failure.
Quarterback – QB is obviously the most important position in football, and everyone knows that Kirk Cousins is an impending free agent if the Vikings don’t extend him. Minnesota has Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall under contract for 2024, and the last four games of the season prove that starting either player would be an untenable plan. The Vikings can extend Cousins, acquire a starting QB through free agency or a trade, draft one, or any combination of those three. Regardless, they must make a significant move under center to be a competent football team.
Edge Rusher – Behind QB, edge is at least near the top of the list of positional importance. Like QB, the Vikings lack a starter, with only Patrick Jones II and Andre Carter II under contract in 2024. Like with Cousins, the team could bring Danielle Hunter back. But they would need to add at least one more startable player to this position, with D.J. Wonnum and Marcus Davenport scheduled to hit free agency. That will require a significant investment in the draft or free agency.
High-Cost Needs
The Vikings need impact players at the positions above, but this tier is for positions where the Vikings have the bodies but need to improve upon them to become a competitive squad.
Cornerback – The Vikings have every single corner that played a snap for them — Byron Murphy Jr., Akayleb Evans, Mekhi Blackmon, Andrew Booth Jr., Joejuan Williams, Jaylin Williams, and NaJee Thompson — under contract in 2024. The problem is that after Murphy, Minnesota’s young CBs really struggled. The young players may develop between now and the beginning of next season, but I believe the Vikings need to invest significantly to get a starter for next year. That doesn’t come cheap.
Interior Defensive Line – Minnesota’s defensive line was excellent against the run in 2023, but it lacked anything remotely resembling the ability to rush the passer. Harrison Phillips is a stalwart presence in the middle of the line. Still, he will need help around him because Jonathan Bullard and Khyiris Tonga are free agents. Ideally, they need two players who can win one-on-ones in pass-rush situations. Last year, only Danielle Hunter could. Even if the Vikings bring Hunter back, they would need to add another force, and I would prefer it be on the interior. If they add two high-level edge rushers, no easy task, they would be able to get by solely with run defenders like Phillips and Jaquelin Roy on the interior. That’s what prevented me from ranking this need higher.
Low-Cost Needs
The Vikings don’t have starting-quality players at the positions below due to pending free agency or subpar play from players under contract. However, the positions shouldn’t be that expensive to fill. Therefore, they require little cap planning or draft capital to upgrade.
Running Back – The Vikings had hoped that Alexander Mattison would be a low-cost answer for them at the RB position, but he played poorly in 2023. Ty Chandler looked more explosive but was inconsistent. He ended up with a nearly identical success rate to Mattison (45.1% for Chandler vs. 45.0% for Mattison) and was terrible in pass protection. Neither should be the starter for 2024. Minnesota shouldn’t shop in the high range of free agency. The biggest FAs last year, Miles Sanders and Dalvin Cook, were complete flops. Instead, they should look to the middle range of FA or the draft instead.
Kicker – Greg Joseph isn’t under contract. Even if he was, the Vikings should look to upgrade from the kicker who was 28th in FG% last year. Drafting kickers is a bad idea, but the Vikings must do something here. They will most likely hold a competition with a UDFA and other free agents.
Off-Ball Linebacker – The Vikings appear set with one starter at the position in Ivan Pace, but they are losing a significant number of snaps from Jordan Hicks. Hicks offered a size component that Pace and the other LBs under contract do not. Fortunately, thumping run defenders at LB are not expensive in the draft or free agency.
Interior Offensive Line – Minnesota has four of their five OL starters under contract for 2024, with Dalton Risner as the lone exception. Re-signing Risner should be a low-cost solution to this problem. The Vikings also need depth at the position, though. The other OLs who played snaps for them — David Quessenberry, Austin Schlottmann, Blake Brandel, Oli Udoh, and Chris Reed — are scheduled to be free agents.
Depth Needs
In these positions, players have the starting spots locked down, but they need to decide what to do with depth at the position. The team will be fine if the starters at the position remain healthy. However, there is a big hole if anyone gets injured.
Wide Receiver – Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison are a phenomenal receiver duo. But the team is losing over 1,200 snaps with K.J. Osborn and Brandon Powell hitting free agency. The Vikings play with three receivers on most snaps, so they need an additional body. Players like Jalen Nailor, Trishton Jackson, and N’Keal Harry are on the roster and could potentially fill that role, but it would be nice to bring back Powell, who is also the punt returner.
Tight End – The Vikings have one of the best TEs in the league in T.J. Hockenson. However, he will be coming off of major knee surgery. Josh Oliver and Johnny Mundt filled in well in his absence, but Mundt is a free agent. Nick Muse, an exclusive-rights free agent who the Vikings can bring back at minimum salary with no competition from other teams, could potentially fill in for Mundt. Still, Minnesota should consider bringing Mundt back or looking to another similar player to help support the position if Hockenson misses any time next year.
Offensive Tackle – Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill are among the best OT duos in the NFL. But as mentioned regarding the iOL above, none of the other tackles who played for the Vikings last year are under contract. They will need to decide if they want to retain any of those players or if they want to look elsewhere for depth.
self-Actualized positions
These are the positions where the Vikings have their starters and depth players under contract for 2024, and no changes are needed to create a competitive team.
Safety – Like at CB, the Vikings have every S that saw playing time last year under contract. (Theo Jackson technically isn’t under contract yet, but is an ERFA who Minnesota will bring back if they want to.) The difference between S and CB is that the Vikings still have three quality starters at the safety position. They could create their own need by moving on from an aging Harrison Smith. But if they do that, they could just as easily start using a slot corner. That way, Josh Metellus could play safety full-time instead of adding another safety to replace Smith.
Punter – Ryan Wright had a good rookie year and a middling second year. Giving him more time to grow is worthwhile, but I could see that changing if he loses a competition.
Fullback – C.J. Ham. That’s all.
Long Snapper – Andrew DePaola was a second-team All-Pro this year after being first-team last year. I just wanted to include this section to compliment him.
When you stack all of the needs together, it creates this nice little pyramid:
