Adam Thielen may have to go for Moritz Böhringer to stay

Adam Thielen has been a feel-good story for the Vikings, but he may have to go if the Vikings want to keep Moritz Böhringer.

The Vikings have six wide receiver spots to fill, and may have some tough choices to make toward the back-end of that position group.

One man who might become a victim of the numbers-crunch is Adam Thielen.

Since his arrival a couple years ago, Thielen has proven himself to be a versatile and valuable member of the team, and he’s certainly not a guy the Vikings would be happy to let go of.

However, there’s another guy in Mankato right now the Vikings might be even sadder to see go. The Vikes spent a sixth-round pick on German star Moritz Böhringer and you have to believe they would not be thrilled to lose him.

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Ideally, the Vikings would love to keep Böhringer on the practice squad, but that would mean exposing him to waivers. Though it’s somewhat unlikely that another team would pluck Böhringer away, since by rule they would have to keep him on the 53-man roster, there is always the chance that someone might be willing to snag him.

The Vikings don’t want anyone to snag Böhringer, but the only way to guarantee he sticks around is to keep him on the roster.

So, let’s say it comes down to a choice between MoBo and Thielen. Which man do you keep?

If it’s me, I’m keeping Böhringer and I’m not looking back.

Of course Böhringer is a very raw talent and it’s unlikely that he would be able to contribute much as a receiver right away. But how much has Adam Thielen really contributed as a receiver in his two years?

In his two seasons, Thielen has caught just 20 passes. So clearly he is not a key player as a receiver.

Thielen’s main value has been on special teams, where he’s contributed some pretty big plays, including an exciting punt-block-TD-return in 2014. But special teams is something that requires relatively little training and given Böhringer’s freakish athletic ability I’m sure he could pick that up pretty quickly.

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At the end of the day you have to consider the upside of each player. Thielen is a nice utility player but he’s never going to be a major factor. Böhringer on the other hand has the tools to be a legit receiver down the line.

I like Adam Thielen as much as the next person but if keeping him means potentially exposing Böhringer to waivers, to me it’s not worth the gamble.

When final cuts come around, the Vikes might have to choose the new feel-good man over the old one. It’s a tough business sometimes.