Ranking the Vikings Free Agents
Not grading them as players, just ranking them according to how much I liked the move. I didn’t include depth moves like Wilson, Skule, Thomas et al.
1. Jonathan Allen - 3 years @ 17M per
Our biggest need filled by a ultra-talented pass rusher whose price was reasonable due to a pec injury in 2024. Hurt last year, but his pass rush grades the 4 years prior: 78, 81, 91, 84. To compare, Jonathan Bullard’s pass rush grade last year was 47, Tillery’s 54. Great player, great human, great leader. Will add some serious fire to the Vikings defense. Biggest misconception about him is that he’s old. He just turned 30. Also, not a factor in the comp formula. 6 months from now, this is the player we'll all be excited about.
2. Ryan Kelly - 2 years @ 9M per
Every bit the run blocker that Bradbury is, but this is a massive, immediate upgrade in pass pro. With a young QB, I actually like that he’s older. Bradbury would surround a good game with two bad games. But year in, year out, game in, game out, Kelly’s been remarkably consistent as both a run and pass blocker. I also think signing the older Kelly over the younger Dalman might signal how they feel about Jurgens.
3. Will Fries - 5 years @ 17.6M per
Absurdly good PFF grades in 2024 in both run and pass. So why in the name of chili cheese did the Colts let him go? I really don't get that. My biggest concern is he did it for only 5 games. Brandel looked good for 5 games too. Did his light come on or was that an outlier? Vikings are obviously convinced it’s the former. 26 years old and signed for 5 years, this is our RG for the ages. Adding his line mate Kelly makes this move even better.
4. Isaiah Rodgers - 2 years @ 5.5M per
Young, ascending player. PFF grades definitely argue starter-level, but probably not someone you want to count on as a CB1 or CB2. More than any other, this addition feels like many of the moves we made last year.
5. Javon Hargrave - 2 years @ 15M per
32 yo and hurt last year, but his pass rush grades the 4 years prior were 87, 91, 92, 84. Again, Jonathan Bullard’s pass rush grade was 47, Tillery’s 54. By itself, this is a solid move, but combined with Allen it’s a home run. We had to get better pressure when rushing only 4. Greenard, Allen, Hargrave, Turner/Gink could be the best pass rush we’ve had in decades. Who do you block?
6. Byron Murphy - 3 years @ 18M per
I think Murphy is a very good corner, but I don’t think he’s elite. In fact, I think of him as a very good CB2. The $22M was jarring. But that’s not what he got. It’s basically a two-year deal at $18M per. I’m fine with that. The Vikings didn’t have many options left after Ward and Reed signed with other teams. He’s not a shut-down guy, but we already know he fits well in Flores’ defense. How many picks will he have with better pressure?
Thx MB!
Wonder who will make the line calls in 25??? I dont think JJM will be there yet.
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
purplefaithful wrote:
Thx MB!Wonder who will make the line calls in 25??? I dont think JJM will be there yet.
Kelly is supposed to be among the games best at it, so…
Kentis wrote:
Kelly is supposed to be among the games best at it, so…
Yep. From AI...
Ryan Kelly, the former Colts center, is known for his strong leadership and authoritative calls on the offensive line, earning him the nickname "alpha dog" from his coach.
"Alpha Dog" Leader:
Coach Reich described Kelly as having a "deep voice and talks with a lot of authority," emphasizing that he "breeds confidence" and the offensive line "feeds off of that".
Authoritative Calls:
Kelly is known for his direct and commanding style of calling out signals, rather than engaging in much small talk.
MaroonBells wrote:
Yep. From AI...
Ryan Kelly, the former Colts center, is known for his strong leadership and authoritative calls on the offensive line, earning him the nickname "alpha dog" from his coach.
"Alpha Dog" Leader:
Coach Reich described Kelly as having a "deep voice and talks with a lot of authority," emphasizing that he "breeds confidence" and the offensive line "feeds off of that".Authoritative Calls:
Kelly is known for his direct and commanding style of calling out signals, rather than engaging in much small talk.
Haven’t had this since Christy.
“Hell is empty and all the devils are here”
Shakespeare
I think Fries and Kelly will end up being solid signings. Hargrave seems to be legit. Glad to see you are high on Allen as I had concerns about him. I thought Murphy was a huge overpay, hope he works out and shows he was worth it, wish we kept Bynum instead.
Good stuff, Maroon.
Only disagreement is I'd put Murphy no lower than 4. He was an important guy to bring back.
He's not a #1 CB in the traditional sense but he is in Flores scheme. With how Flores likes to disguise coverage and pressure, Murphy was our best CB at that last season. Big reason he had 6 INTs.
Nice opinion piece. Since it's opinion, I'll add mine...
...I think that Jordan Mason is going to be a dawg RB for us for a while. He doesn't have a lot of miles on him, and you can't argue with his YPC at 5.2. Being stuck behind Christian McCaffrey is not the same as being stuck behind Aaron Jones. I see a complimentary 1-2 ground attack that just was ...almost... there with Cam Akers (I do like his tenacity, coming back from two Achilles injuries to still play at a high level.
Having watched him for at least a couple games early last season, I went "whoooooaaaaa...who dat?"
On top of that, I think with Darrisaw back and Kelly and Fries (and please some improvement out of Brandel), I think our run game has more potential this year than for quite a while in the past.
Realistically, our OL was at 20% full strength with just O'Neill being one of the top performers. I like Risner but he's not Fries, I had given up on Ingram a long time ago, Cam Robinson was manhandled at LT and I think that affected Brandel. By contrast, we'll be at...let's say 90% (I'm giving Brandel a half a grade until he proves me otherwise.)
This is a quality write up. Something you could find in the Athletic or elsewhere. Well done.
I like Rodgers more than most and I think he’s going to grow on people. Especially since our pass rush will now have some teeth to it in the middle.
Montana Tom wrote:
Nice opinion piece. Since it's opinion, I'll add mine......I think that Jordan Mason is going to be a dawg RB for us for a while. He doesn't have a lot of miles on him, and you can't argue with his YPC at 5.2. Being stuck behind Christian McCaffrey is not the same as being stuck behind Aaron Jones. I see a complimentary 1-2 ground attack that just was ...almost... there with Cam Akers (I do like his tenacity, coming back from two Achilles injuries to still play at a high level.
Having watched him for at least a couple games early last season, I went "whoooooaaaaa...who dat?"
On top of that, I think with Darrisaw back and Kelly and Fries (and please some improvement out of Brandel), I think our run game has more potential this year than for quite a while in the past.
Realistically, our OL was at 20% full strength with just O'Neill being one of the top performers. I like Risner but he's not Fries, I had given up on Ingram a long time ago, Cam Robinson was manhandled at LT and I think that affected Brandel. By contrast, we'll be at...let's say 90% (I'm giving Brandel a half a grade until he proves me otherwise.)
One of the guys in our fantasy league who lives in the Bay Area picked up Mason before the news broke nationally on McCaffery. Watching him shred our run D was eye opening. If there’s a better duo west of the Mississippi someone let me know.
I’m not too concerned about Brandel, but if Will Campbell slides due to his T-Rex arms I wouldn’t mind another LSU player on the team.
“Hell is empty and all the devils are here”
Shakespeare
MAD GAINZ wrote:
Good stuff, Maroon.Only disagreement is I'd put Murphy no lower than 4. He was an important guy to bring back.
He's not a #1 CB in the traditional sense but he is in Flores scheme. With how Flores likes to disguise coverage and pressure, Murphy was our best CB at that last season. Big reason he had 6 INTs.
These are all good moves IMO. I just liked some a little more than others. Putting them in order is like ranking your favorite pizza joints. There's a reason the Vikings got an A+ and basically "won" free agency according to many.
MaroonBells wrote:
These are all good moves IMO. I just liked some a little more than others. Putting them in order is like ranking your favorite pizza joints. There's a reason the Vikings got an A+ and basically "won" free agency according to many.
I think we had to win FA. We went after good players but didn't break the bank. We are going into the draft with only 4 picks.
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