The “bigger half” of the famed “Williams Wall” officially retired a Minnesota Vikings today after signing a one-day contract, in a great PR move by GM Rick Speilman.

Pat Williams was a 15-year veteran but hasn’t played  since 2010.  Williams was an amazing run stopper next to current Vikings DT Kevin Williams, earning three trips to the Pro Bowl.

With two days before the 2013 NFL Draft this is another reminder that the Vikings have yet to find a replacement for the 40-year old mammoth nose tackle.

Top Draft Day options to replace Williams would be Alabama’s Jesse Williams and Georgia’s John Jenkins who are late first round to early second-round options.  In the third round a small school prospect like Missouri Southern’s Brandon Williams could be a viable option.

The Vikings currently have both returning NT’s, Letroy Guion and Fred Evans, on the roster again.  Evans is heading into a contract year with the Vikings.

September 11, 2011; San Diego, CA, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Letroy Guion (98) reacts after being called offsides late in the fourth quarter against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. The Chargers won 24-17. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-US PRESSWIRE

Just ask the Bengals how perilous the preseason can be. Within the first five minutes of their opener Friday night Cincinnati lost 3 starters: Travelle Wharton, Taylor Mays and Carlos Dunlap. The latter two will likely be fine but LG Wharton could miss the entire season with a knee. And you think preseason is meaningless?

On the contrary, preseason can be painfully meaningful. Just ask the Packers’ Desmond Bishop. He’s looking at a possible trip to season-ending IR after injuring his knee. Just ask Michael Vick who banged his hand against a teammate’s helmet and couldn’t feel the hand for a half-hour. Ask Mohamed Massaqoui who left the Browns’ game with a concussion, really bad news in his case as he has a history of head injuries.

Like I said, preseason can be fraught with peril. The Vikings thankfully got out of their Friday night opener relatively unscathed. The only ding worth mentioning was the one to starting nose tackle Letroy Guion. He’ll likely miss 1-2 weeks with a PCL injury – not a big deal compared to what is facing Wharton and Bishop. Considering what we saw from the Vikings’ other interior linemen last night, it’s good news Guion isn’t badly hurt. I don’t think there’s a lot there to choose from beyond Fred Evans.

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Jan 8, 2010; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks tight end John Carlson (89) scores on an 11-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter of the NFC Wild Card playoff game against the New Orleans Saints at Qwest Field. The Seahawks defeated the Saints 41-36. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

As every Viking fan knows, the team hasn’t exactly had an exciting free agency period. But they did make a couple of potentially good signings, emphasis on “potentially.” Here’s how the various moves grade out in my humble estimation:

New Signings

John Carlson 

The notion of pairing Carlson with Kyle Rudolph to create a two-headed tight end monster looks good on paper, but as any cliche-spewing idiot TV analyst can tell you, games aren’t played on paper. The Vikings were supposed to get tons of production from their tight ends last year but it never materialized. If Bill Musgrave can get his two tight end attack rolling, the Carlson signing will look good. If not? Well, at least give the Vikings credit for covering themselves. Carlson’s 5-year, $25 million deal looked risky to begin with but when the contract’s full terms were released, turned out the Vikings had given themselves an out after two years. So if Carlson bombs, at least they won’t be stuck with him long. He’s younger than Visanthe Shiancoe and might be a slightly better blocker.

Grade: B

Geoff Schwartz

Like Carlson, Schwartz missed the entire 2011 season with injury. Unlike Carlson, he was only given a one-year deal. With that deal came the promise of a chance to start, which is why Schwartz chose the Vikings over his other suitors. This to me was a better signing than the Carlson deal for a number of reasons. One, it’s only a one year deal. Two, it’s for a lot less money. Three, Schwartz has way more upside than Carlson. If Carlson tops out he’ll be a nice complement to Kyle Rudolph. If Schwartz, who was on his way to becoming a Pro Bowler with Carolina before the injury slowed him, tops out? He’ll be, well, a Pro Bowler. Again, this move is all about risk vs. reward. In this case, the risk is very low and the potential reward is very high. Hard to be negative about this signing even if it’s not a big name.

Grade: B+

Lex Hilliard

The Vikings got next to nothing last year from Lorenzo Booker. As the season wore on it became increasingly clear that there just wasn’t a role for Booker in the offense. The Vikes didn’t need a small, shifty third down back with receiving skills. It didn’t help Booker’s cause that he fumbled a lot and made some dumb decisions on kick returns. So Booker wasn’t tendered as an RFA, allowing him to walk. The Vikings then brought in Lex Hilliard, a guy with much more potential value. He can block some, he can run some, he can catch some, and he’s a solid special teams contributor. Perhaps the best thing about him? He’s a legit short yardage back, unlike Toby Gerhart. He’ll be in the mix for the third RB job behind AD and Toby.

Grade: B-

Jerome Felton

Ryan D’Imperio improved as a lead blocker over the course of the season but maybe the Vikings want more from their fullback than just lead blocking. Felton brings more to the table as a ball carrier than D’Imperio. But his main job will be blocking. The Vikings are trying to figure out ways to replace Jim Kleinsasser, who lined up as a fullback and H-back as well as at tight end.

Grade: C+

Zackary Bowman

This is all about scheme. Bowman is experienced in the Cover-2 and that’s why the Vikings valued him. They didn’t value him much though as evidenced by the contract he got ($615,000 for the season with no bonus). The hope with Bowman is that he’ll push Asher Allen down one spot on the depth chart. Ideally, the Vikes will start the year with Chris Cook, Antoine Winfield and a newly-drafted rookie as their top three corners.

Grade: C-

Re-signed

Erin Henderson

Erin griped a little about not being re-signed right away but that was just a Twitter tempest in a teapot. Clearly there was no great market for his services, or he wouldn’t have come back on a one-year deal. If Erin continues on the upward curve he rode last year, he’ll be a steal at $2 million for one year. Then next year he can go someplace and score a big contract.

Grade: B+

Devin Aromashodu

They wanted Pierre Garcon but couldn’t afford him. When the initial feeding frenzy settled, they looked around at the remaining wide receivers and decided Devin Aromashodu would have to Aromasho-do. Sorry.

Grade: C

Sage Rosenfels

He likes it in Minnesota. They like the way he works with the young quarterbacks. He seems like a nice guy.

Grade: C

Letroy Guion

We’re still waiting for Letroy Guion to realize the potential we’re always being told he has. Maybe this will be the year. Or maybe Christian Ballard will take his job by mid-season. The Vikings are really hoping Guion catches on, or the 3-year/$9 million deal they gave him will look kind of silly.

Grade: C+

Fred Evans

They dumped Remi Ayodele and kept Fred Evans. Net gain. Fred needs to work on not jumping offsides.

Grade: B- (cause it got rid of Remi Ayodele)

Overall Vikings Free Agency Grade

B-

In all honesty, so many of these contracts are flier contracts, who knows what the grade should be? In two years we might look back and think Rick Spielman is a genius. Might.

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