6 Vikings free-agents who will return to the team in 2019
By Nik Edlund
Nick Easton – OG
The Vikings’ offensive line woes from a season ago are well documented. Minnesota will surely address it through free agency and the draft this offseason, but why not start by bringing back a former starter?
Nick Easton started 12 games for the Vikings in 2017 at left guard. Easton was an anchor in pass protection and he opened some nice, big holes in the running game. A big reason why the Vikings’ offensive line was so bad in 2018 was due to Easton not being a part of it.
He missed the entire 2018 season after having surgery to repair a herniated disk in his neck. That is a scary type of injury and one that some considered career threatening. It could actually be a blessing in disguise for Minnesota though.
Other teams are going to shy away from offering Easton a decent contract until he can prove he’s 100 percent recovered from that surgery. If all he can get is a one-year prove it-type of deal, why not take it from the Vikings and keep your family home in Minnesota?
The Vikings definitely could use Easton at either center or guard next season and if he plays the way he did in 2017, it would be a huge upgrade for a line that desperately needs it.