The Minnesota Vikings have had quite the offseason. How productive have they been? Ben Solak at ESPN+ (subscription needed) ranked the Vikings' offseason process as the third-best in the NFL, trailing only the Buffalo Bills and the Los Angeles Rams.
As a reminder, here's a summary of the Vikings' moves:
Solak mainly loved the Vikings' investment into their offensive line with Fries and Kelly.
"Fries was one of my top free agent gems — he's one of the best players nobody knows about, and he should make a big push for a Pro Bowl spot at guard if he fully recovers from his tibia injury. The need at guard was obvious; the need at center was far more subtle. I thought the Vikings would happily play out another year with Garrett Bradbury at the pivot, surrendering his pass protection issues for his running game value. Instead, they did what true contenders do and tried to upgrade not just at the needy positions, but also the average ones. I'm not sure it will work — Kelly (31) is older than Bradbury (29) — but it's a good risk to take."
Personally, I think Kelly is basically a lock to be an upgrade from Bradbury, as long as he's healthy. He has a nine-year track record of being far superior in pass protection. The fact that Kelly and Fries come with four years of built-in chemistry from their time as Colts teammates is an added bonus.
What Solak didn't love was the price the Vikings paid at defensive tackle.
"In general, double-dipping at 3-technique opposite Harrison Phillips is a shrewd approach, and both Allen and Javon Hargrave can provide an immediate impact. I did not, however, expect Allen to tip the financial scales at $17 million per year. The entire defensive tackle market came in above my expectation, so perhaps this was just the cost of doing business. Allen is now the league's 15th-highest-paid defensive tackle, and Hargrave ($15 million per year) is the 18th. While Allen might have been more expensive than I expected (and Hargrave too, for that matter), the theory behind the approach is sound. I just wish it came at a smaller price tag."
That's a fair critique. Both Allen and Hargrave are a bit on the expensive side when you consider their age and how much time they missed to injury last season. But at the same time, they're also very good football players when healthy. They filled a major need for the Vikings, who had the cap space to spend. Overpaying a bit for great players is something you can do when you have a quarterback on a rookie contract.
In addition to the offensive and defensive lines, the Vikings reloaded their secondary, added a couple weapons to their offense in Mason and Moore, and brought in some key depth and special teams pieces.
"We want to build a type of team that could support a young quarterback, who we’re excited about being here, competing every day," GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said on Wednesday. "You don’t know what January football is going to be like. You want to build the type of team that can win any type of game, and that’s what we set out to do and we’ll continue to do so as the draft comes."
Elsewhere in the NFC North, the Lions ranked fourth on Solak's list. The Bears are 15th, while the Packers are down at 23rd.