Most sections of the Minnesota Vikings’ roster seem like they’re in better shape than last year — except the outside linebacker spot. The franchise traded Jonathan Greenard to the Philadelphia Eagles in April, and accordingly, one more EDGE defender from free agency or trade could come in handy.
Per The Athletic‘s Alec Lewis, there’s a decent chance of that outcome in summer free agency.
Jadeveon Clowney, Leonard Floyd Emerge as Sensible Vikings EDGE Fixes
Lewis: Vikings Will Probably Sign an OLB
The Athletic analyzed one main question for each NFL team heading into training camp in four weeks, and for Minnesota, that was EDGE.
Lewis wrote, “Who will they add for depth at edge rusher? Because quarterback continues to dominate the conversation in Minnesota, other parts of the roster remain overlooked. Edge rusher is one of them.”
“The Vikings traded Jonathan Greenard to the Philadelphia Eagles. His departure opens the door for 2024 first-rounder Dallas Turner to take the next step. Minnesota also still has the cyborg, Andrew Van Ginkel. Depth behind them warrants a potential addition.”
Minnesota hasn’t suffered from skinny OLB depth in years.
“If Turner or Van Ginkel miss time with an injury, the Vikings need reliable pass rushers, especially with how much they’re betting on youth on the interior. The team has about $13.1 million in cap space for 2026. Using a chunk of change on edge help is a realistic expectation,” Lewis concluded.
Just in Case of Injury
The main grievance for EDGE is this: what happens if Van Ginkel or Turner get hurt? The Vikings would turn to Turner and Bo Richter, for example, and that would not enthuse fans — unless Richter has taken a noticeable step forward from last season.
It’s the same mentality that made the Jauan Jennings signing so fantastic at wide receiver. If Justin Jefferson or Jordan Addison miss games — that happens in the NFL — panic won’t ensue because Jennings can seamlessly slide in as the WR2 until the other guy returns.
Minnesota needs an extra linebacker to hedge the bet against injury. The alternative(s) would be inserting rookie Jake Golday into the lineup as an outside linebacker or hoping second-year defensive tackle Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins has the chops for EDGE duty.
The Candidates
So, who are the options? The list is long and intriguing:
- Derek Barnett
- Joey Bosa
- Jadeveon Clowney
- Marcus Davenport
- Leonard Floyd
- Jerry Hughes
- Yannick Ngakoue
- Emmanuel Ogbah
- Josh Paschal
- Haason Reddick
- Preston Smith
- Kyle Van Noy
- Von Miller
Credible reporting last week suggested that Bosa may retire; he might be off the list. Other than Bosa, there’s plenty of beef on the free-agent wire for another EDGE. The encouraging part? All these players can be signed for less than $10 million; that’s the name of the game nearly four months into free agency.
And it just so happens that Minnesota has about $13 million to spend in cap space.
Clowney or Floyd Make the Most Sense
Clowney still has juice, and don’t you forget it. In 2025, despite playing only 373 defensive snaps for the Dallas Cowboys, he recorded an impressive 8.5 sacks. Projecting that production over a full season suggests he could achieve around 15 sacks as a full-time starter.
However, the Vikings wouldn’t need Clowney as a primary starter, as Turner and Van Ginkel currently fill those roles. Clowney would instead serve as the third outside linebacker, making his contributions valuable rather than critical.
His cost shouldn’t be unreasonable either. Having earned approximately $5.5 million last season, Clowney’s next contract is likely to fall between $5 million and $8 million. This price point would allow Minnesota to acquire a proven pass rusher as insurance.
Zone Coverage‘s Trevor Ripley wrote last week, “Clowney makes a lot of sense for the Vikings. So does Reddick, who has over 1,000 career coverage snaps – something Minnesota values in their edges. It’s fairly easy to fall in love with any of the big names still available, despite age or recent production concerns.”
“It’s likely Minnesota’s ideal approach for 2026. Still, whether or not any of the free agents want to play ball is another story. It could be that Clowney or Bosa is holding out for a starting job. The Vikings aren’t really able to offer that, barring an injury. Therefore, the team may have to settle for a middling veteran looking for any deal he can get.”
Leonard Floyd, too, makes sense because he won a Super Bowl with Kevin O’Connell in Los Angeles five years ago. Often, coaches will upon former players in free agency, even if O’Connell coached offense for the Rams while Floyd played defense.
Clowney, though, would probably excite the fan base the most.
