The moment the Minnesota Vikings traded Jonathan Greenard to the Philadelphia Eagles for two 3rd-Round picks, they created a semi-urgent need at the outside linebacker position — if they don’t trust their in-house commodities.
The club has just over $13 million to spend in summer free agency, and all signs point to another EDGE defender if Bo Richter, Tyler Batty, or Chaz Chambliss don’t win the OLB3 job.
Vikings’ Pass Rush Depth Makes EDGE the Obvious Target
Vikings Could Use FA Cash at OLB
Minnesota may not sign an OLB this week, but it should be on the mind of new general manager Nolan Teasley, according to The Athletic‘s Alec Lewis.
He wrote Tuesday, “Trading Jonathan Greenard to the Philadelphia Eagles places major responsibility on third-year edge rusher Dallas Turner. It also emphasizes the depth behind Turner and Van Ginkel. The scheme can only go so far.”
“When one-on-one pass-rush opportunities present themselves, the Vikings need edge rushers who can win. Minnesota’s staff thinks highly of former undrafted edge rushers Chaz Chambliss, Bo Richter and Tyler Batty, though none of them have produced at the NFL level.”
Based on last year’s snap counts, Richter or Batty would likely get the OLB3 nod on the depth chart if Tealsey signs no newcomers.
Lewis continued, “The Vikings have around $13 million in cap space, according to Over The Cap, and some enticing free-agent edge rushers remain. The Vikings could wait until training camp to make a move.”
“But from a competitiveness standpoint, supplementing this position group seems paramount.”
The Options
If one assumes the Vikings don’t fire up a fancy trade for an EDGE defender — they probably won’t because they would’ve kept Greenard otherwise — free agency actually has a barrage of promising options. Assuming Minnesota doesn’t wait until the last minute, here’s the EDGE market right now:
- Cameron Jordan
- Derek Barnett
- Haason Reddick
- Jadeveon Clowney
- Joey Bosa
- Kyle Van Noy
- Leonard Floyd
- Marcus Davenport
- Von Miller
- Yannick Ngakoue
The list is thick, and outside of Davenport — a former Viking who disappeared after a high ankle sprain in 2023 — fans would not be disappointedwith any man from this list.
An easy way to think of it? It’s a good time to need a veteran outside linebacker. Plenty to go around.
SKOR North‘s Judd Zulgad noted on Clowney in particular this week, “Clowney, who is 33, has 66.5 sacks in 153 games over 12 seasons with seven teams. Last season, he had 8.5 sacks in 13 games with Dallas. Teasley is familiar with Clowney, who spent the 2019 season in Seattle when Teasley was the Seahawks’ director of pro personnel.”
Rolling the Dice with a UDFA?
If it’s not a household name like Jordan, Clowney, Bosa, Floyd, or Miller, Minnesota would promote from within. Four in-house options are available after Van Ginkel and Turner, all the aforementioned undrafted free agents: Richter, Batty, Chambliss, and Cam’Ron Stewart.
As Lewis noted, there’s no way to know in June if those men have the juice for a full-time OLB3 role, but behind the scenes, defensive coordinator Brian Flores should know if any of the four is ready.
Meanwhile, the longer the Vikings wait without signing a free-agent EDGE, the closer they get to riding with Richter, Batty, Chambliss, and Stewart. There’s also a chance that Minnesota waits until the post-cutdown market, when approximately 1,200 NFLers hit free agency or bide their time for a practice squad assignment.
Other Positions of Need?
Finally, the other spots on the roster that could use some love from Teasley. This list is not that long, believe it or not.
Minnesota has plenty of safeties, and if Harrison Smith returns, no more are needed. If Smith doesn’t return for Year No. 15, a free-agent safety cannot be ruled out if rookie Jakobe Thomas isn’t ready for the regular season.
With the safety caveat, the positions of need are down two spots in June, July, and August: cornerback and guard. Flores has Byron Murphy Jr., Isaiah Rodgers, James Pierre, rookie Charles Demmings, and Dwight McGlothern locked and loaded at CB. If the Vikings wanted to be ultra-deep, free agents like Trevon Diggs and Mike Hilton are looking for work.
At guard, the situation is similar to OLB. Should Joe Huber and Henry Byrd do the trick as depth, no more guards are required. The saving grace is that about 10 decent depth guards are on the free-agent wire.
Vikings training camp is about seven weeks away. A quality, big-name EDGE like Clowney or Bosa would likely cost around $10 million.
