Adofo-Mensah, O'Connell Laser Focused on One Specific Area of Improvement
Both GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O'Connell made it clear they want to get better - and tougher - in the trenches
The NFL is a quarterback-driven league and the Vikings have some intrigue at the quarterback position this offseason.
But after listening to general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell’s press conferences from the Scouting Combine on Tuesday, it’s clear each of them are focusing heavily on one particular aspect of the team this offseason.
The trenches.
That is to say, the defensive and offensive lines.
“We need to be able to have a level of execution and a level of physicality that holds up over 17 games,” O’Connell said. “As we learned this year, we’ve got to find a way, after playing well in December, which was a goal of ours, we’ve got to find a way to get back in the dance and put our best foot forward in January.”
Adofo-Mensah echoed that sentiment.
“To play January football, there’s a certain way you’ve got to play,” Adofo-Mensah said. “You’ve got to be able to control the ball on offense and you’ve gotta be able to get after the passer sometimes with just four (rushers). These are things we all know, and I’ve been on teams that have that.
“But when you’re going through your process over the years and you’re building two, three-year horizons, you’re always trying to make sure you’re addressing all the needs at once. I think this is probably one that we need to get better at. We will do that from different avenues.”
There are three primary avenues the Vikings can utilize to improve their personnel and production at the line of scrimmage.
The first is by re-signing some of their own free agents. The next is unrestricted free agency, which begins in the middle of March. The final way is the NFL Draft, which will be held at the end of April.
Here’s a brief look at each of the three avenues and ways the Vikings could toughen up in the trenches for 2025.
Re-Signing Free Agents
On offense, the team has decisions to make on last year’s starting right guard, Dalton Risner. They should also look at the contract of starting center Garrett Bradbury to see if a pay cut is in order.
On defense, a pair of starting linemen are up for new contracts - defensive end Jonathan Bullard and defensive tackle Jerry Tillery. Additionally, rotational edge rushers Pat Jones II and Jihad Ward are free agents.
Wobby’s Recommendation: Prioritize re-signing Risner but with the caveat he will be in a compete-to-start scenario. Cut Bradbury to save cap space. Re-sign Jones II and Ward. Take a wait-and-see approach on Bullard and Tillery where they are offered one-year deals only if, after the draft, the team feels it lacks depth at their positions.
Free Agency
The Vikings will enter free agency with the seventh-most cap space. This gives them the juice to be major players for their top targets at multiple positions.
Because they should pursue a top cornerback and either re-sign or replace safety Cam Bynum, the Vikings will have to be judicious about which defensive and offensive line spots they address in free agency. They should also keep in mind their analysis of the incoming draft-eligible players. Wherever the team feels the draft is strong and / or deep, those positions should not be targeted early in free agency.
On offense, top targets to consider would be Atlanta Falcons center Drew Dalman, Indianapolis Colts guard Will Fries, Kansas City Chiefs right guard Trey Thomas, Philadelphia Eagles right guard Mekhi Becton and San Francisco 49ers guard Aaron Banks.
On defense, top targets to consider would be Cincinnait Bengals defensive tackle B.J. Hill, Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, Los Angeles Chargers defensive tackle Teair Tart and Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Milton Williams.
Wobby’s Recommendation: Put the full-court press on Fries and Thomas along the offensive line. If you miss on one of them, fall back on Dalman. Assuming you get two of those three, use another big contract on Odighizuwa or Williams. If you only sign one of the offensive linemen mentioned above, then grab two defensive interior players and focus on the offensive line in the draft.
NFL Draft
This class has some depth along the offensive line, especially at both guard positions. There is also some depth at center if you’re willing to wait until the end of the second and into the third and fourth rounds.
Many draft experts are also bullish on the defensive interior with this draft class.
With a lot of cap space to spend in free agency, this puts the Vikings in the cat bird’s seat for the draft, too. They can wait and see which parts of the defensive and offensive interior they were able to address in free agency, and then use the draft class to fill in the holes.
Wobby’s Recommendation: Lean on the draft for the defensive interior players and use free agency, a more sure-fire avenue for instant improvement, on the offensive line. Pair that strategy with re-signing both Bullard and Tillery. They can be veteran insurance policies against draft picks not panning out in Year 1 and needing time to develop.