Xavier Woods signed

How he fits: Very well. For starters, the Vikings had a massive need at safety. Anthony Harris signed with the Philadelphia Eagles last week, and the Vikings hadn’t yet filled the hole he left behind. They already boast one of the best safeties in the league in Harrison Smith, but they still needed a free safety to play a deep zone — ideally one who can ball-hawk the way Harris did.

The 25-year-old Woods checks both boxes. He has been a starter with the Dallas Cowboys the last three seasons after being drafted in the sixth-round in 2017. He excelled in 2018 and 2019 but took a slight step back in 2020, part of why the Vikings were able to afford him.

Woods becomes the presumptive starter opposite Smith as soon as the ink on his contract dries. The Vikings had little else in terms of depth at the position.

2021 impact: The Vikings secondary was a mess a year ago. It’s clear now that was a top priority entering the offseason. Two of Minnesota’s signings so far have been cornerbacks (Patrick Peterson and Mackensie Alexander), and now the franchise has added a safety. Those moves should quickly bolster the team’s passing defense.

The Vikings’ five free-agent signings on defense (plus their ability to keep Anthony Barr) means the unit could return to its long-time status as a top-10 group. That’s not a given, of course. Peterson needs a bounce-back year. Woods probably does, too. But the potential is there.

A year ago, Zimmer alluded to the Vikings not having enough talent on defense. That’s no longer the case.

Draft impact: The Vikings still have one glaring need — the offensive line. The turnover on defense and additions they’ve made have come at the expense of the offensive line, which was already below average and now has to replace two starters.

With the No. 14 pick in the draft, an offensive lineman has to be the top target for Rick Spielman. They’ll have options, including Northwestern’s Rashawn Slater if he falls to them and USC’s Alijah Vera-Tucker. Or the Vikings could trade the pick with the hopes of accumulating a second-round pick and nabbing an offensive lineman later in the first round. (Arif Hasan and I are teaming up for a seven-round mock draft on Monday, so more on that then.)

Perhaps the only position that could dissuade the Vikings from using a first-round pick on an offensive lineman is an edge rusher that Zimmer and co-defensive coordinator Andre Patterson desire. Luckily for the Vikings, there are plenty of edge rushers and offensive linemen who should be first-round options.

The Vikings entered free agency knowing that this draft class was a bit weak on top-end defensive tackles and safeties. So in free agency, they nabbed one of each. Expect Woods to start in the secondary and Dalvin Tomlinson to start at defensive tackle.

Cap update: The Vikings are close to the cap, but they still have enough room to make a signing if they see fit. Of course, the offensive line is the remaining position that stands out. The top players are gone, but there are a few free-agent options who still could be had on relatively cheap one-year contracts. I’d expect another Vikings signing in the next week even if it’s a relatively low-level player.

Outlook: Have the Vikings done enough on defense to complement what was a top-10 offense last year? We’ll see. The defense is certainly going to be much better and closer to what has been expected in Minnesota under Zimmer.

The concerns about a lack of talent in the secondary should be put to rest. Peterson, Alexander and Woods inject a lot of depth and playmaking ability to the back half of the defense. Tomlinson helps improve their dismal run defense. A healthy Barr and Danielle Hunter would go a long way. Given all of that, the Vikings’ playoff hopes seem to have improved. But whether that’s enough to knock the Packers from the top of the division remains to be seen.