Faceoff: Vikings have plenty of work to do in free agency, draft
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PHERSY: Feldy, I assume you’re camped out at Xcel Energy Center at the moment, watching every dangle and slash from “The Tourney.” Or maybe the MSHSL turned down your media credential for obsessive cheering from the press box. Feldy, I know it’s no longer football season, but let’s talk Vikings this week. It seems highly unlikely that Adrian Peterson will ever wear a Vikings uniform again. The Vikings and Peterson are keeping things cordial, but that’s likely just to keep all options open moving forward. Feldy, assuming AP will not be this team’s running back; what’s the best bet for this team ... draft a running back or sign a veteran?
FELDY: My fear is Trader Rick will look at the roster and the money available to spend under the cap and decide that the team will load up on offensive linemen in the draft and free agency, and avoid addressing the running back issue. While we’d all like to see better linemen in place, neither Jerick McKinnon nor Matt Asiata is the answer at running back. They could go after someone like Latavius Murray and likely sign him for about one-third of what AP was due this season. I’d rather take my chances in the draft that Stanford’s Christian McCaffery or Alvin Kamara of Tennessee fall to the Vikes in Round 2.
PHERSY: Feldy, I think you’re dead wrong here. Running back is a spot that should absolutely be addressed in free agency, rather than the draft. Yes, draft a young running back late, someone who you can develop. But teams allow good running backs to walk all the time, so quality backs will be out there. What the Vikings need to do is quickly decide which type of running back they desire. They need someone who is a pass catcher and who can pick up a blitz on third down. Peterson couldn’t do those things. And all of that means nothing if the offensive line isn’t addressed. Frankly, this team couldn’t sign or draft TOO many offensive linemen.
FELDY: That was my thought, get enough quality linemen and you can plug in a rookie runner behind them. IF the Vikings can re-vamp that O-line, Sam Bradford is such an accurate passer that they could plug in a runner who’s green at the NFL level and have some success. You hit the nail on the head, though, that this team can’t pick up enough linemen. They have to reevaluate how they evaluate them, though, because whatever they did last offseason was a disaster. All we heard going into camp was how deep the team was up front. No. They just had a lot of bodies. They need more than just a group of OK guys. ... Switch gears: Adam Thielen. Is he in Purple come late July?
PHERSY: Hold up, we need to back up a second. Did you just say reevaluate how they evaluate? Because, that hurt my head. ... I’m hopeful that they’ll re-sign both Thielen and Cordarrelle Patterson. Financially, I’m not sure the Vikings can pull it off, but they should try. Yes, it’s scary that Patterson may have only been motivated by that shiny new contract. But, I think he’s worth the risk based on the improvement he displayed last season. And I’m not sure what they would have done without Thielen last season. He has the potential to be a star, and this team has lacked star wide receivers since Randy Moss.
FELDY: Follow the bouncing football, Phersy. Trader Rick and Co. need to reevaluate their process of evaluating linemen. You should know I’m all about causing you headaches. ... Thankfully, Thielen is a restricted free agent. I can’t imagine the Vikings letting him walk, unless a team wants to pay him like a top-five NFL receiver. He has to be a huge part of the team’s future. Patterson should get another chance, and he could be part of the solution at running back if Pat Shurmur really wants to get the ball in his hands. He definitely has the tools, let’s just hope he’s learned his lesson and is motivated to become more than a special teams ace.