The Minnesota Vikings are in very good condition financially heading into this year's free agency and draft season. Thanks to the cheapest owner in the NFL, Red McCombs, the Vikings are poised to make some noise this off-season. Hopefully, the new owners will be more competitive than McCombs was cheap and they will be willing to spend the cap money available. I know that McCombs still owns the team and must sign off on all transactions, but it's not really his money he's spending any more. I believe Reggie Fowler may have suggested that Red open things up.
Which brings us to this; the Vikings are more than $30 million under the cap, made the playoffs last year (barely), and have a high-powered offense ready to go. That means the Vikings can spend most of their available cap money on free agents, and that means they can very easily improve the defense.
Some money will have to be spent on current players such as Chris Hovan and Jermaine Wiggins, but the majority will be available to help the defense. The offense should not need much tinkering. Kleinsasser will return healthy next year and most of the other offensive starters are already signed. They must sign Wiggins, he proved his value last season. But the rest of the offense is set. In fact, the only change they should make is to deal either Michael Bennett or Mewelde Moore. That would leave them with a quality starter in the backfield and plenty of depth with Moe Williams and Onterrio Smith.
Defensively, the Vikings have many holes and the money to fill them. On the defensive line, they will re-sign Hovan. Then they should pursue a big-time defensive end. John Abraham would look very good in a Vikings uniform, but there are a few good DE's out there.
The biggest improvement the Vikings need is at linebacker, and there are several very good ones available. Jeremiah Trotter should be pursued aggressively. The improvement he made to the Eagles when he became a starter last year was impressive. They could not only sign Trotter, but they could also go after Larry Foote or Kendrell Bell of the Steelers. Either of them would be a good fit in Minnesota.
This may sound like wishful thinking, but Abraham, Trotter, and Bell could all be signed and still leave over $10 million in cap room available for signing a big-time defensive back and several draft choices. And signing those three players would transform Minnesota's defense into one of the top defenses in the league and make the Vikings a real contender in the NFC.
What the Vikings actually do with all that cap room will be interesting to watch. It will also tell us whether the new owners are serious about winning, or are just trying to turn a profit.
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