After a rough 2020, the Vikings found out that their list of needs was a lot larger than they had anticipated, turning a playoff push into a mediocre 7-9 showing. With a few key losses coming up, they’ll need a targeted and effective free agency period if they want to return to relevancy.
Let’s take a look at the five positions at which they most need help in 2021:
1. Guard:The Vikings don’t have many bodies at guard to begin with, and the level of play they got from the players they do have wasn’t spectacular. Add in the potential departure of starting left guard Dakota Dozier and the position goes from worrisome to alarming. When the new league year opens, they’ll only have four players on their 90-man roster devoted to the position, about as many as they have quarterbacks. The Vikings will have to make a decision on tackle Riley Reiff and, subsequently, a decision on Ezra Cleveland before they can move forward, which means they’ll know whether or not they need one additional guard or two. They’ve historically had extremely poor interior play, and pressure up the middle along with defenders knifing into the backfield to create tackles-for-loss have been a big problem. While not the most valuable position on the roster, it is the position that could stand to gain the most from an upgrade (or two).
Current depth chart: Dakota Dozier (UFA), Ezra Cleveland, Dru Samia, Kyle Hinton, Zack Bailey
2. Safety: Similar to the guard position, the Vikings just don’t have many players ready to go on the roster. With both starting safety Anthony Harris and backup George Iloka likely departing in free agency, they’re left with four players at the position under contract, two of whom saw regular playing time last year. The Vikings have put quite a bit on the shoulders of their safeties over the years, and they’ve become critical to covering for their corners. With an experienced safety leaving, the Vikings will be left with a gap at a position they typically have been strong at. Their preferred Cover-4 from the 2018 and ’19 seasons won’t be tenable without a good player there.
Current depth chart: Harrison Smith, Anthony Harris (UFA), George Iloka (UFA), Josh Metellus, Myles Dorn, Luther Kirk
3. Defensive tackle: Shamar Stephen and Jaleel Johnson ranked second-to-last and third-to-last in pressure rate from the interior, making for — by far — the worst pressure-producing defensive tackle duo in the NFL. They were two reasons the Vikings had the fourth-worst pressure rate in the NFL, per SportRadar. Not only that, but the only other defensive tackle on the roster who took significant snaps was Armon Watts. With Johnson likely leaving in free agency, the depth chart will look even thinner. For a position that requires significant rotation, this is a big problem. Getting Michael Pierce back will help immensely, but the Mike Zimmer defense is far different without interior pressure — something Pierce historically hasn’t provided.
Current depth chart: Michael Pierce, Shamar Stephen, Jaleel Johnson (UFA), Armon Watts, James Lynch
4. Cornerback:The Vikings’ defensive struggles didn’t just come from a lack of pressure, of course. They also experienced an enormous drop-off of talent and experience at the cornerback position. That doesn’t mean they need to replace the players who ended up starting by the end of the year. Far from it, actually, as both starting corners showed promise. But they don’t have an answer at the third cornerback spot and there are no clear answers behind them for depth. Though there’s experience in the system in Kris Boyd and Mike Hughes, it would be nice to add more young talent into the mix, especially given how important third cornerbacks are in today’s NFL.
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Current depth chart: Cameron Dantzler, Jeff Gladney, Mike Hughes, Kris Boyd, Chris Jones (ERFA), Dylan Mabin
5. Defensive end: The Vikings get Danielle Hunter back, and there’s some probability that the combination of rotational players they have now produces a reasonable quality edge rusher opposite Hunter. But Zimmer has clearly expressed a preference for two high-quality edge rushers to take advantage of the one-on-one matchups his scheme forces. There hasn’t been a long period of time where the Vikings haven’t had two above-average edge rushers on their line and designed their defenses around them. Without them, the linebackers and cornerbacks may continue to struggle.
Current depth chart: Danielle Hunter, Ifeadi Odenigbo (RFA), D.J. Wonnum, Stephen Weatherly, Jalyn Holmes, Hercules Mata’afa, Jordan Brailford, Kenny Willekes
(Photo of Dakota Dozier: Brace Hemmelgarn / USA Today)
Arif Hasan has been writing about the Vikings and the NFL for more than a decade, specializing in deep-dive analysis using both film and analytics to break down the most pressing questions surrounding the team. His work has appeared locally and nationally, featuring in publications like the Star Tribune, the LA Times, the International Business Times, Forbes, MSNBC and Bleacher Report. Prior to joining The Athletic, Arif wrote for Zone Coverage. Follow Arif on Twitter @ArifHasanNFL
