The Minnesota Vikings may be in the market for a safety during this year’s free agency period, and could target one of these five players.
The Vikings have put together one of the league’s better young defenses, but there are still holes to fill personnel-wise, and the biggest of these is at safety.
Mike Tirico may not know his name but Harrison Smith is now one of the top safeties in the NFL. The Vikings now must find a good player to pair with Smith in order for their overall defensive backfield to take the next step.
The Vikings’ younger in-house options include 2014 draft pick Antone Exum and 2015 UDFA Anthony Harris. Both had limited chances to play in 2015 and neither did anything particularly spectacular.
Veterans Andrew Sendejo and Robert Blanton are both free agents in 2016. Sendejo started most of the 2015 season and his performance ranged from adequate to brutal. I don’t know many people who think Sendejo is the answer. Blanton also is not in the picture as a starter.
Terence Newman got a look at safety mid-season after injuries decimated the position, and there are some who think the Vikings should convert the long-time veteran to a full-time safety and slide in Trae Waynes at cornerback. Newman is getting old however and is clearly not a long-term solution.
Dipping into free agency could be the answer for the Vikings are there are some interesting options out there.
McLeod may be undersized at 5-10 but what he lacks in stature he makes up for in attitude. The former UDFA out of Virginia has a reputation as one of the hardest hitters in the NFL. If you don’t believe me, just ask Emmanuel Sanders (see above clip).
McLeod isn’t just a wrecking-ball, he also has skills in coverage. Pro Football Focus ranked him 9th among all safeties in coverage in 2015 and 4th in tackling. Take the reckless abandon of Andrew Sendejo and add good tackling technique and some cover ability, and you have Rodney McLeod.
The only problem with McLeod is that he’s been playing for the Rams and has likely learned some bad habits that Mike Zimmer would have to coach out of him. Zimmer doesn’t believe in the Gregg Williams cheap-shot philosophy.
At 25 and coming off his best season, McLeod is sure to be a sought-after free agent. The Rams have multiple decisions to make in their secondary and may not be able to pay McLeod what he is worth.
2. George Iloka
Mike Zimmer was defensive coordinator of the Bengals when Cincinnati took Iloka in the fifth round of the 2012 draft. In two years under Zimmer, Iloka developed into one of the better safeties in the NFL.
We know Zimmer loves players who understand his scheme and play well within it, and Iloka would seem to fit that bill. He’s big and long at 6-4, 225 and has very strong coverage skills.
Iloka may not be a great in-the-box safety but he’s a good enough tackler who has been well-coached throughout his career. The Vikings don’t necessarily need a big hitter out of their other safety spot but they do need someone who knows how to do basic things like beat cut blocks and wrap up. In other words, someone who is not Andrew Sendejo.
The Bengals likely will look to lock Iloka up so the chances of him actually hitting the market are fairly slim, but if for some reason he does escape Cincinnati, he could very well end up on Minnesota’s shopping list.
Gipson was hampered by injury in 2015 and did not have the kind of big season some expected coming off his 2014 year when he picked off six passes in just eleven games for the Browns.
Gipson is generally viewed as a good coverage safety and certainly possesses a knack for big plays. The big knock against him is his tendency to miss a lot of tackles. A LOT of tackles.
Ball-hawking ability is valued by fans and certainly makes for great highlight reels but I’m not sure Mike Zimmer places that high a priority on being able to get picks. The Vikings need a player with good all-around skills who can hold up in coverage and make plays in the box. I’m not sure Gipson really fits that bill. He only has okay size at 5-11, 205.
Gipson also has missed a lot of games due to injury over the past few years.
The Cincinnati Bengals may not be able to afford to keep their whole talented secondary together, and that may allow Reggie Nelson to sneak out of Ohio and back into Mike Zimmer’s hands. Like George Iloka, Nelson was schooled in Zimmer’s system for several years and should be very comfortable with Zim’s way of doing things.
Nelson may be a bit older at 32 but he clearly has a lot of good ball ahead of him. Nelson had his best statistical year in 2015, picking off eight passes and making second-team All-Pro.
A Reggie Nelson-Harrison Smith tandem would be very intriguing for sure. Nelson is certain to come with a healthy price tag however, coming off a Pro Bowl season.
Nelson may be getting older but he is durable, having missed just three games over the last five years. If it comes down to moving Terence Newman to safety or signing Nelson, I would prefer to sign Nelson. Newman could then be brought back as a veteran backup.
5. Eric Weddle
It ended badly for Eric Weddle after a long, very successful run in San Diego. Weddle will now hit the market and will likely command a big salary given his reputation both as an elite safety and a great team leader.
Weddle is getting older at 31 and he had injury issues in 2015, but his long record of durability (he missed zero games from 2010-2014) suggests that he should be able to rebound from last year’s physical struggles.
Weddle has said that he wants to go to a winning organization. Coming off a playoff season in 2015 and with the highly-respected Mike Zimmer in place, the Vikings surely would be an attractive destination for Weddle or any defensive free agent seeking a chance to improve his own game while enjoying team success.
Price tag is the big issue with Weddle. Every team with a need at safety and some cap space is going to call this guy. Are the Vikings ready to ease their self-imposed restriction on throwing big money at older free agents and make a serious run at Weddle?
The Vikings know their Super Bowl window is now open, so now might be the time for Rick Spielman to somewhat put aside his conservative “build through the draft” philosophy and shell out some dough for an immediate upgrade at a position that has been problematic the past two years.