The Minnesota Vikings made great strides last year, doubling their win total from the 7 games the team won in the 2023 season to the 14 that they recorded in 2024. The Vikings could have been the No. 1 team in the NFC playoff structure if they had beaten the Detroit Lions in the regular-season finale, but that game turned out to be a disastrous loss.
In that game, quarterback Sam Darnold struggled with his accuracy. Much of that may have been the pressure of the moment, but the other part was an offensive line that failed to protect him. Specifically, the Vikings interior offensive linemen were basically overrun by the Detroit pass rush, and Darnold did not have the kind of time he had through the majority of the season when he led the team on winning streaks of 5 and 9 games.
The offensive line’s weakness became even more pronounced the following week on the road against the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. Darnold was on the run throughout the game, and the Rams sacked him 9 times for 82 yards in losses.
Those 2 games were not flukes. When the Vikings came up against the toughest opponents as the season was on the line, their interior linemen fell short of expectations.
Vikings have to address OL weakness in free agency
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell know the Vikings have to get better in this area. The team was quite successful in free agency a year ago when they picked up linebackers Blake Cashman and Andrew Van Ginkel along with edge rusher Jonathan Greenard.
The Vikings have plenty of cap room at this point — nearly $60 million — and they can make a bold attempt to fix this issue March 12, the official start of the new league year.
There is no reason this team can’t go after two of the best guards who are scheduled to become free agents. Trey Smith of the Kansas City Chiefs is probably the best guard available and Kevin Zeitler of the Detroit Lions is not far behind.
The Vikings employed Dalton Risner, Ed Ingram and Blake Brandel at the guard spots last season. Center Garrett Bradbury may be under the gun as well. He seems to get the job done when the Vikings are playing average teams, but he struggles against top competition.
Smith is a 25-year-old stalwart who should be outstanding at his position for the foreseeable future. The 6-6, 321-pound Smith made the Pro Bowl for the first time last season, his 4th year in the NFL. The former Tennessee Volunteer plays with a mean streak that the other Vikings interior linemen are missing.
Zeitler is a 34-year-old solid pro who has the size and strength to dominate. Zeitler checks in at 6-4 and 340 pounds, and he played a key role in the outstanding offensive year that the Lions had in 2024.
Signing Smith or Zeitler would make the Vikings significantly tougher, and bringing both of them aboard would turn a major weakness into a superior strength.
Vikings need secondary help as well
The Vikings made great strides on defense last season as coordinator Brian Flores built a unit that excelled at taking the ball away and keeping opponents out of the endzone.
However, there were issues against the pass, and an upgrade in personnel would be helpful. The Vikings should make an attempt to sign CB D.J. Reed of the New York Jets.
Reed has excellent cover skills even though he is not a big man at 5-9 and 185 pounds. Reed has 7 years of experience with the San Francisco 49ers (2 years), Seattle Seahawks (2 years) and New York Jets (3 years).
Reed has never had more than 2 interceptions in any season, but he can mirror top receivers and prevent big plays. He had 11 passes defensed last season along with 64 tackles and 4 tackles for loss.
Reed may not be an All-Pro candidate, but he understands the nuances of coverage and he could be a solid addition for the Flores defense.
Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell also have a quarterback issue
The most visible question the Vikings face in free agency is at the quarterback position. Darnold did a brilliant job until the regular-season finale and the playoff game. He was a bargain for the team at $10 million for the season, but he will cost about $35 million per season for the team that signs him in 2025.
The Vikings have a quarterback in waiting in J.J. McCarthy, and if he is healthy and fully recovered from the torn meniscus he suffered in the team’s first preseason game last summer, he would have an excellent chance to become the team’s starter.
If he is not healthy enough to take over the QB1 position, the Vikings have to make a decision on who will handle the assignment. As good as Darnold was last year, it doesn’t seem likely that the team wants to commit to him for multiple seasons at a high price. A franchise or transition tag is a possibility.
The Vikings have former Giants quarterback Daniel Jones in the fold after he was released by New York. O’Connell demonstrated that he could have success with a retread in Darnold last season. Would he attempt to make the same magic with the athletic but inconsistent Jones?
That’s another question the Vikings have to answer once free agency opens next month.
