Despite little cap space, the Vikings are expected to be in on two of the top free agents — guard Joe Thuney and CB Shaquill Griffin. They'll have plenty of competition for their services, but the Vikings are interested.
— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) March 15, 2021
When the base salary cap was first announced, Minnesota did not have a lot of cap space to work with.
But since then, the Vikings have made some moves. The team has released TE Kyle Rudolph, LT Riley Reiff, K Dan Bailey and others. Minnesota has also restructured with LB Anthony Barr and P Britton Colquitt.
So the team can be somewhat of a player in free agency with the freed up space. According to Chad Graff of The Athletic, that’s what the team is doing. Graff reported that the Vikings are in on two of this year’s top free agents: guard Joe Thuney and CB Shaquill Griffin. Minnesota will have competition with those two, but the Vikings are interested, per Graff.
Both of those players fill needs for the Vikings. Minnesota struggled on the interior of the offensive line this past season, especially in pass protection. Thuney is coming off a 2020 where he had a PFF pass blocking grade of 73.1 and overall grade of 74.2. He would be a big help for the offensive line.
Griffen could also be a help. Last season, the young Vikings cornerback group made strides and improved down the stretch. That said, the group had their ups and downs and someone with more experience could help players like Cameron Dantzler and Jeff Gladney.
