What are the chances that Eric Weddle lands with the Vikings?

The All-Pro safety was recently released by the Baltimore Ravens and he could possibly draw some interest from the Minnesota Vikings this offseason.

On Tuesday, the Baltimore Ravens made a bit of a shocking announcement when they decided to release veteran safety Eric Weddle. Coming off of three-straight Pro Bowl appearances, is Weddle someone the Minnesota Vikings should be interested in adding to their roster this offseason?

Currently, only one of the Vikings’ two starting safety spots are known for 2019 since Harrison Smith is still on the team’s roster. As for who will be playing next to Smith in Minnesota’s defensive backfield next season, that is something the team is going to have to figure out fairly quickly.

Andrew Sendejo has been the Vikings’ other full-time starting safety since 2015. However, Sendejo only appeared in five games last season due to injury and Minnesota has until March 12 to decide if they want to pick up his 2019 contract option that will pay him more than $5 million.

During his absence last year, backup safety Anthony Harris was thrown into the starting lineup for nine games and he performed very well. But Harris is a restricted free-agent this offseason and there’s a possibility that he may not return to the Vikings if another team offers him a contract that is an amount that Minnesota does not want to match.

If the Vikings are considering other options to put next to Smith in 2019, they could turn to Weddle or another safety that is expected to be available in free agency this year. Along with Weddle, this offseason’s group of free-agent safeties includes a number of very talented players such as Earl Thomas, Landon Collins, Tyrann Mathieu, Glover Quin, and Lamarcus Joyner.

A bunch of these guys are likely going to get a pretty significant amount of money in free agency this year. But Weddle could be one of the more affordable options due to him being one of the oldest options available (he’s currently 34-years-old).

The veteran safety made around $8 million last season, however, it doesn’t seem too likely that he will get a new deal that pays him a similar amount in 2019. At best, Weddle will probably be able to find a team that will give him contract worth around $6 million per season.

If this is a price that he would be willing to take, he is definitely someone Minnesota should look into adding to their roster for 2019.

Even at his current age, Weddle is a better option for the Vikings at safety than Sendejo and Harris. The former Ravens defensive back has been consistent with his play during his entire career and he is one of the most durable players at his position (missed just three games since 2010).

Weddle performs well against the run and in pass coverage. He’s just a really solid player and someone who Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer would probably love to have in his defense.

During his entire time in the NFL, Weddle has played in a defense that mainly used a 3-4 defensive alignment. Since the Vikings’ defense uses a 4-3 alignment as its base, some may believe that the veteran safety might not be a good fit for the team.

Given his talent and experience though, Weddle should still be able to find success under Zimmer in Minnesota no matter what the defensive alignment is.

If the Vikings are serious about going after him this offseason, they will need to clear some more cap space first by saying goodbye to players like Sendejo, Everson Griffen, Kyle Rudolph, and Trae Waynes.

But letting go of at least two of these four veterans is also the case if Minnesota wants to add really anyone in free agency this year. So the Vikings might as well make some of their difficult departures worth it by bringing in a talented safety like Weddle.