Minnesota Vikings want to bring back free agent DT Tom Johnson for 2018

The Minnesota Vikings would love to bring free agent defensive tackle Tom Johnson back for the 2018 NFL season to have his presence on the defensive line.

Many players in the NFL are just waiting for their opportunity to prove themselves on the field. For Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Tom Johnson, that chance came when an injury happened to the starting defensive lineman.

While Sharrif Floyd has been struggling to come back from a knee issue, Johnson has been making the most of every opportunity given to him. During the 2017 season, he played 673 snaps on defense, up from 477 the year before according to Pro Football Reference.

Johnson has settled in next to “Big Goon” Linval Joseph to help establish one of the best defensive lines in the NFL. However, he is scheduled to become a free agent this year and his services could be up for grabs to the highest bidder.

At 33 years old, some teams may not be as interested in Johnson as they might younger prospects, but there is no denying that he is a starting caliber player who can be used to hold down a spot until a long-term answer can be found.

The Vikings still don’t have their answer at the position. Drafting Jaleel Johnson in the 2017 NFL Draft got the team a player to grow and develop, but Minnesota wants to bring Tom Johnson back for 2018 according to the Star Tribune.

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"“I think Tom has some left, but I think we got to use him in the right way. He wanted to prove he could play the run, and he did. I think it took a toll out of him. I think his best thing is if he’s just used on certain passing downs, try to limit his reps to 30ish, you know, a game. Maybe 25, I think that would help.”"

Minnesota could find a valuable rotation of defensive tackles while they get their young players experience and help them develop. Keeping players fresh and using them to their best strengths is something Zimmer always looks to do.

"“Maybe it was because Tom Johnson played too many plays, maybe we didn’t play Linval enough. There’s a lot of things that we talked about that we have to look at. But we have to do a better job. That’s one of the things. I’ve got like six areas on both sides of the ball that we need to address.”"

Next: Where will Teddy Bridgewater end up in 2018?

It will be interesting to see if the Minnesota Vikings will be able to retain Tom Johnson this season give them the depth and rotation they need to be successful during the 2018 season or if the franchise will be forced to go a different direction at defensive tackle.

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