For the first time in years, the Minnesota Vikings are near the top of the NFL’s standings. They currently hold a three and a half game lead in the NFC North, are one of four teams with one or fewer losses, and are ranked by most in the top five. After their bye week, the playoff contending Vikings need to reinforce their position on the leaderboards. With the trade deadline nearly upon us, we are reaching the zenith of sports speculation. But how aggressive will the Vikings be in this final week?
According to reporter Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) of 5 Eyewitness News, extremely. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah isn’t one to be afraid of making trades, as evident from the trades made on draft night, and according to Wolfson, Adofo-Mensah and his team are still looking to deal. On SKOR North’s off-shoot podcast, Purple Daily, Wolfson says, “The Vikings are trying,” even though “it’s entirely possible, as aggressive as the Vikings are being, in the end, that no trade may be executed”. Also noting the Vikings have spoken with the Broncos, Commanders, and Texans and “certainly a number of other teams as well”.
Wolfson urges fans to temper expectations as most discussed trades usually don’t come to fruition, but I am looking to speculate and there are a few positional gaps that could be filled by certain players.
Wide Receiver
Denver Broncos: KJ Hamler
Going off of the teams alluded to directly by Wolfson, how can you not look at Hamler? After the Broncos all but announced an all out fire sale, the Vikings interest in the roster is a no brainer. As far as names from Denver’s receiver room, Jerry Jeudy likely is too rich for the Vikings to bite making Hamler the more palatable choice. As far as the Vikings positional need is concerned, barring Justin Jefferson, the pass catchers have not played to expectations. Adam Thielen has looked more like a wide receiver three and KJ Osborn has rarely been looked at. Minnesota needs a speedy complement to Jefferson and it doesn’t seem likely that the team will land Odell Beckham Jr.
Like Osborn, Hamler too has had a quiet season this far. Only targeted 11 times and catching five of those passes, he and Russell Wilson haven’t gotten on the same page. Osborn, meanwhile had been targeted 26 times and pulled in 19 passes, but only had one game where he surpassed 50 yards. He can play crafty and get chunk plays, but he rarely is a downfield threat, where as Hamler with those numbers of targets could.
Defensive Tackle
Washington Commanders: Daron Payne
As you can tell, I’m drumming up spicier ideas as we progress and this choice follows that rule. Offense maybe be where the focus is this year, but the defense is how the Vikings have been winning games. The bend not break mantra has kept the Vikings at 5-1 so far, but I’d like to see opposing offenses start cracking under the pressure. That starts by solidifying the pass rushing with a little Payne. And yet, the Commander’s DT is anything but little: six foot three with 320 pounds of muscle bearing down on a quarterback? Say less.
This move fits with the intel from Wolfson indicating the contact between the two teams and makes sense for a few reasons. Caught up in the emotions of a tough loss against division rival, the Dallas Cowboys, Payne and his teammate Jonathan Allen got into a slight scuffle where the two men had to be pulled apart. Putting Payne in purple could be the rejuvenation after the constant losses and disappointments in Washington. Not to mention that the Vikings even flirted with bringing on Ndamukong Suh, only failing to find common ground in an agreed price.
Payne is worth making cap space for, especially if the Vikings are planning long term moves before the trade deadline.
Tight End
Atlanta Falcons: Kyle Pitts
Now we are getting spicy! A trade straight from a Madden game, completely unlikely to happen, right? This is Pitts’ second season in the NFL and he’s still getting used to the big leagues. So what if he has only had two touchdowns in his career? And why does it matter that he isn’t on track to replicate his previous 1,000 yard season? Kyle Pitts doesn’t care about stats, he wants to win! You’re right and I’m sure that Pitts is a great team player, but he seems under utilized doesn’t he?
The Falcons are second in their division, but they are 3-4, that’s not a winning team. Pitts is stranded on a team with identity disorder and he is doing his best to wait it out for the flood to recede. But will it? His team’s best player in Cordarrelle Patterson is a frequent flier on the injury report, and Marcus Mariota seemed to thrive more in a back up role. In a division as wide open as theirs, why not give rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder a chance to play? The Falcons are years away from being in contention while the Vikings are knocking on the NFC Championship door.
It wouldn’t be cheap to acquire the young tight end before the trade deadline, but the Vikings have Kirk Cousins signed on for at least two years. If it takes a first rounder this season and maybe a few thirds or fourths, that seems like a good deal waiting to happen.
The Importance of the Trade Deadline to the Vikings
The most important point to remember is that Minnesota is a true contender this year. The NFC is wide open as future Hall of Famers are sputtering and struggling. With a well positioned deal right before the trade deadline clock strikes midnight, Minnesota may be able to secure a second place finish in the division.