When you look at the Minnesota Vikings roster heading into the next phase of OTAs, it's a relatively complete group of players. It's not flawless with some small needs in a few places to really feel great.
The one position that keeps coming up is cornerback. Outside of Byron Murphy Jr., the position doesn't have a lot of talent. Now, there is some upside in players like Isaiah Rodgers and Mekhi Blackmon, but they each provide their own questions
Vikings should sign EDGE Jadeveon Clowney
There are a few cornerbacks out there on the market with the one that many fans have clamored for is Asante Samuel Jr. Unfortunately for him, Samuel has a reported shoulder and neck injury that has prevented him from signing. Even so, cornerback could be just fine with where the Vikings are at and defensive coordinator Brian Flores has proven he can run an elite defense without high end talent at the position.
Where Flores likes to focus his talents on defense is on the front, as the pass rush is the engine of the unit. It was a little surprising that the Vikings didn't take a defensive lineman at the top of the NFL Draft, especially with how much talent there was. Unfortunately, they didn't fall to the Vikings, so they took left guard Donovan Jackson.
There is one player that the Vikings should seriously target in free agency and it comes just a few days after the Carolina Panthers released him: edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney.
The Vikings have a good group of edge rushers with Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Dallas Turner. However, their depth behind those three is suspect. Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins looks to be strictly an interior player after an in-depth film study. The fourth edge rusher is likely one of Gabe Murphy, Bo Richter, and Tyler Batty. With how much the Vikings use the NASCAR package, adding one more player could be a major benefit.
The best edge rusher available is Clowney, who has had quite the career since being drafted first overall in the 2014 NFL Draft. He made the Pro Bowl from 2016-2018 with the Houston Texans. After the Texans placed the franchise tag on Clowney, they traded him to the Seattle Seahawks, and that started a journey for Clowney to play on five teams in six years.
There are two reasons why Clowney has not been able to stick with a team: consistency and availability. He's been a really good rotational pass rusher, but Clowney doesn't have the bend to truly be elite, but his power profile is excellent. That style of play is exactly what the Vikings could use in the NASCAR package.
The Pat Jones II role has yet to be defined for the 2025 defense. That role is a physical edge rusher who can set a strong edge and be impactful on the interior. Jones himself didn't have the ability to be super bendy around the edge, but he had the size, strength, and willingness to get physical as a crasher on stunts.
Not only can Clowney do that, he's got a great power profile and plenty of quickness to win on the interior. That type of versatility is huge in how Brian Flores wants to play defense, and Clowney can give you all of that.
One of the issues with Clowney has been the lack of production. He has four seasons of 9.0 sacks or higher, but not a single one over 10. That isn't a big deal when you are playing this kind of role, but he can end up still getting production, as Jones had 7.0 sacks last year. Standing up over the center is something that Clowney can do well.
Plus, with the additions of Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, Flores could play Clowney on the edge on early downs, giving players like Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard some needed plays off during the game, even if its an extra 3-5, those hits avoided add up. He could also teach Dallas Turner how to better use his leverage, which is Clowney's specialty.
The cost could end up being prohibitive for the Vikings. His pricetag is likely to be in the neighborhood of $8-10 million, as the Panthers just cut him heading into the last year of a two-year, $20 million contract after selecting two edge rushers on day two, and oddly enough, signed Jones to that same contract.
The Vikings can afford him if they really want to, but it would cause some maneuvering around. With where the Vikings are at from a teambuilding perspective, this is the right time to make the move to bring in a mercenary.
