[OC] How To Get Better: Filling the Holes
I am not super invested in either the GM or HC hunt as I do not feel qualified to judge either of those positions and have to just trust ownership to make a good decision. As much as we fans like to believe we know who would make a good coach or GM, I just don't see how we possibly could know if a retread who failed as HC the first time has finally figured things out, or if an OC who has never been a HC before can transition to coach an entire team and we certainly don't know if a glorified assistant GM is making any good decisions on their current team.
So, instead I thought I would look at how we make the players better, specifically who we need to replace to improve significantly. Starting positions that are either free agents or that were filled by players who were below average at best.
Positions of need:
CB
RDE
LB
RG
C
TE2
FS
K
P
Ammo to improve those positions: A 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th (Baltimore's), 3 6ths and a 7th round pick. -11 Million in cap.
A lot of holes, and very few assets to help fill them, which means the Vikings need to either settle for what they already have, make a trade to gain more assets (cap space and picks), cut some players who are underperforming per their contract, or borrow cap from 2023 and beyond.
Tradeable Assets:
Danielle Hunter
Trading Hunter gets the Vikings 14 million in cap, and at least a 1st round pick (based on what the lesser Ngakoue got via a trade). It also creates a new hole at the LDE spot and removes the best player on the defense. I can see good arguments for this trade, as well as good arguments against it. If you trade him, you don't have to lock up 28 million per year in an extension in 2023 and can look to improve both DE spots in free agency with lesser DEs who combined can give you what Hunter does. Or maybe draft a DE who isn't quite as good, but who is significantly cheaper for 4-5 years.
If you keep him, you have something every team covets: a game changing DE in his prime.
In order to make this post more interesting and get more assets to work with to improve the team, I am going to say we trade him.
New cap: +3 million
New picks: 2 1sts, 2nd,2 3rds, 5th (Baltimore's), 3 6ths and a 7th round pick.
That is pretty much it for tradeable assets. I know people want to trade the QB, but I just don't think we could get anything for him with how much he is making. As for other positions people might want to trade, Cook, Thielen and Smith do not have significant trade value and would not save us significant cap if traded. You trade those 3 and it saves about 14 million in cap total, creating 3 new holes to fill in the process, and not getting near the return some think we would get. Thielen might get us a 3rd, but I don't know if Cook or Smith have any trade value at all on their current deals. Not worth trading.
Cuttable Assets:
Michael Pierce
Cutting Pierce saves the Vikings 6.5 million, and unlike some other cut candidates, there is actually someone on the team who could take his spot without creating another hole. Watts and Tomlinson isn't a big step down from Pierce and Tomlinson, and Watts does not have the injury concerns Pierce has.
New Cap: 9.5 Million
That is pretty much it. I have already talked about Cook, Smith and Thielen not really saving us a lot if cut and just creating more holes and there really isn't significant cap to be save by cutting anyone else.
Borrow from 2023:
Kirk Cousins
Add 20 million void year to Kirk's current deal, converting salary to signing bonus. The Vikings would still have 80 million in 2023 and at that point cutting Smith, Cook and Thielen would save significant cap. No brainer, but if void years are upsetting to you for some reason, we could also convert some of O'Neil's and Kendricks' salary to signing bonus and accomplish virtually the same thing that way.
New Cap: 29.5 million
Filling the holes:
At this point the Vikings are looking to improve both DE spots, 2 CBs spots, safety, LBer, RG, Center, TE2, Kicker and Punter. Lots of holes, but now we have more assets to fill them.
DE
This position is by far the biggest hole on the team with Hunter leaving via trade and DJ Wonnum being the worst starting pass rushing DE in football in 2021. The Vikings can't possibly count on two rookies filling both spots on the line, so we need to spend some of our cap on a free agent here. Looking at available free agents, Emmanual Ogbah is still relatively young and shouldn't break the bank. 3 years, 45 million with most of the cap hit coming in the final two years.
Available cap: 22 million
The other DE spot I would look to draft DE with the 12th overall pick. George Karlaftis is a guy who I am penciling in for now, something that could change depending on who the Vikings hire as HC and who rises and falls at the combine.
CB
I would like the Vikings to bring back Patrick Peterson on a 3 year, 21 million dollar deal. Like Ogbah's deal, most of the salary will count towards the end of the contract.
Available cap: 18 million
That would leave a CB spot still open, and Coby Bryant would be my pick in the 2nd round. Good size, and good in run support, I think he would compete to start day 1.
LB
Devin Loyd would be a great pickup with the Vikings' 2nd 1st round pick. A day one starter who could be what we all hoped Barr would become.
RG
Laken Tomlinson is a name that I have heard thrown around on here and if he can make the transition to RG, could be a good value in free agency. Assuming he had a similar year next year as he did this year, it would cut the number of pressures on the QB by 20 by replacing Udoh's 48 with his 28 pressures given up. 4 years, 40 million.
Available cap: 10 million
Center
I would probably just roll out Bradbury again in 2022 and maybe spend one of the 3rds on a guy to compete with him in camp.
Safety
I am okay with going into camp with Bynum as the presumptive starter. The Vikings will need to spend at least one pick on depth here, but nothing higher than a 3rd.
Kicker and Punter
I don't care. 4-6 million on a couple of free agents.
TE2
Conklin is going to get 8 million at least in free agency, and that just isn't worth it to me. He is okay, and there is a good chance Smith Jr is never as productive as he was this year, but it isn't like he is Darren Waller out there. I would look to draft a TE2.
The rest of the cap I would spend on depth, or keep for an emergency, but that is pretty much it. Offensively we are still limited by our QB, but have improved the Oline. Defensively the Vikings are at least as good as last year from a talent standpoint, with the potential to improve if the rookies really work out. Not a SB team, but until we solve the QB spot, that is pretty much a given.
What do you all think? Anything you would change? Any holes I didn't mention?
So, instead I thought I would look at how we make the players better, specifically who we need to replace to improve significantly. Starting positions that are either free agents or that were filled by players who were below average at best.
Positions of need:
CB
RDE
LB
RG
C
TE2
FS
K
P
Ammo to improve those positions: A 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th (Baltimore's), 3 6ths and a 7th round pick. -11 Million in cap.
A lot of holes, and very few assets to help fill them, which means the Vikings need to either settle for what they already have, make a trade to gain more assets (cap space and picks), cut some players who are underperforming per their contract, or borrow cap from 2023 and beyond.
Tradeable Assets:
Danielle Hunter
Trading Hunter gets the Vikings 14 million in cap, and at least a 1st round pick (based on what the lesser Ngakoue got via a trade). It also creates a new hole at the LDE spot and removes the best player on the defense. I can see good arguments for this trade, as well as good arguments against it. If you trade him, you don't have to lock up 28 million per year in an extension in 2023 and can look to improve both DE spots in free agency with lesser DEs who combined can give you what Hunter does. Or maybe draft a DE who isn't quite as good, but who is significantly cheaper for 4-5 years.
If you keep him, you have something every team covets: a game changing DE in his prime.
In order to make this post more interesting and get more assets to work with to improve the team, I am going to say we trade him.
New cap: +3 million
New picks: 2 1sts, 2nd,2 3rds, 5th (Baltimore's), 3 6ths and a 7th round pick.
That is pretty much it for tradeable assets. I know people want to trade the QB, but I just don't think we could get anything for him with how much he is making. As for other positions people might want to trade, Cook, Thielen and Smith do not have significant trade value and would not save us significant cap if traded. You trade those 3 and it saves about 14 million in cap total, creating 3 new holes to fill in the process, and not getting near the return some think we would get. Thielen might get us a 3rd, but I don't know if Cook or Smith have any trade value at all on their current deals. Not worth trading.
Cuttable Assets:
Michael Pierce
Cutting Pierce saves the Vikings 6.5 million, and unlike some other cut candidates, there is actually someone on the team who could take his spot without creating another hole. Watts and Tomlinson isn't a big step down from Pierce and Tomlinson, and Watts does not have the injury concerns Pierce has.
New Cap: 9.5 Million
That is pretty much it. I have already talked about Cook, Smith and Thielen not really saving us a lot if cut and just creating more holes and there really isn't significant cap to be save by cutting anyone else.
Borrow from 2023:
Kirk Cousins
Add 20 million void year to Kirk's current deal, converting salary to signing bonus. The Vikings would still have 80 million in 2023 and at that point cutting Smith, Cook and Thielen would save significant cap. No brainer, but if void years are upsetting to you for some reason, we could also convert some of O'Neil's and Kendricks' salary to signing bonus and accomplish virtually the same thing that way.
New Cap: 29.5 million
Filling the holes:
At this point the Vikings are looking to improve both DE spots, 2 CBs spots, safety, LBer, RG, Center, TE2, Kicker and Punter. Lots of holes, but now we have more assets to fill them.
DE
This position is by far the biggest hole on the team with Hunter leaving via trade and DJ Wonnum being the worst starting pass rushing DE in football in 2021. The Vikings can't possibly count on two rookies filling both spots on the line, so we need to spend some of our cap on a free agent here. Looking at available free agents, Emmanual Ogbah is still relatively young and shouldn't break the bank. 3 years, 45 million with most of the cap hit coming in the final two years.
Available cap: 22 million
The other DE spot I would look to draft DE with the 12th overall pick. George Karlaftis is a guy who I am penciling in for now, something that could change depending on who the Vikings hire as HC and who rises and falls at the combine.
CB
I would like the Vikings to bring back Patrick Peterson on a 3 year, 21 million dollar deal. Like Ogbah's deal, most of the salary will count towards the end of the contract.
Available cap: 18 million
That would leave a CB spot still open, and Coby Bryant would be my pick in the 2nd round. Good size, and good in run support, I think he would compete to start day 1.
LB
Devin Loyd would be a great pickup with the Vikings' 2nd 1st round pick. A day one starter who could be what we all hoped Barr would become.
RG
Laken Tomlinson is a name that I have heard thrown around on here and if he can make the transition to RG, could be a good value in free agency. Assuming he had a similar year next year as he did this year, it would cut the number of pressures on the QB by 20 by replacing Udoh's 48 with his 28 pressures given up. 4 years, 40 million.
Available cap: 10 million
Center
I would probably just roll out Bradbury again in 2022 and maybe spend one of the 3rds on a guy to compete with him in camp.
Safety
I am okay with going into camp with Bynum as the presumptive starter. The Vikings will need to spend at least one pick on depth here, but nothing higher than a 3rd.
Kicker and Punter
I don't care. 4-6 million on a couple of free agents.
TE2
Conklin is going to get 8 million at least in free agency, and that just isn't worth it to me. He is okay, and there is a good chance Smith Jr is never as productive as he was this year, but it isn't like he is Darren Waller out there. I would look to draft a TE2.
The rest of the cap I would spend on depth, or keep for an emergency, but that is pretty much it. Offensively we are still limited by our QB, but have improved the Oline. Defensively the Vikings are at least as good as last year from a talent standpoint, with the potential to improve if the rookies really work out. Not a SB team, but until we solve the QB spot, that is pretty much a given.
What do you all think? Anything you would change? Any holes I didn't mention?