What options do the Minnesota Vikings have if receivers miss games in 2020?
On Monday, four Minnesota Vikings players were the first from the team’s 2020 roster to be placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. Justin Jefferson, Blake Brandel, Brian Cole II, and Tyler Higby were the unfortunate ones and all four are rookies.
The Vikings aren’t necessarily thin at the wide receiver position this year as they will have multiple young players battling for roster spots. Second-year wideout Bisi Johnson and free-agent signee Tajae Sharpe figure to be frontrunners for spots on Minnesota’s 2020 depth chart.
However, the Vikings appear to be putting their eggs in Jefferson’s basket as the replacement for recent castoff, Stefon Diggs. Ideally, Jefferson would not miss any playing time during his rookie campaign. But with uncertainty everywhere about the COVID-19 virus, no one knows what to expect.
If Jefferson misses extended time due to the virus or if Adam Thielen ended up on the Reserve/COVID-19 list in the future, Minnesota would probably spy other options in the open market.
The cliché and sexy names won’t be on this list of players we are about to discuss. After all, Josh Gordon remains suspended and Antonio Brown essentially retires and unretires on a weekly basis. It is unrealistic to surmise that either man is a rational option at this point in time.
Instead, let’s take a look at five levelheaded options the Vikings could explore if more of their pass-catchers end up on the Reserve/COVID-19 list this year.
Trade for James Washington
The 24-year-old from Oklahoma State University isn’t said to be disenchanted with the Pittsburgh Steelers organization. But he does wiggle into trading-block conversations from time to time.
On their current depth chart, Pittsburgh has JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Washington, Dionte Johnson, and rookie Chase Claypool slated to fill out the wide receiver position. This is not a groundbreaking group of talent, but it would not be implausible for the team to deal one for a draft pick or so at some point in 2020.
Washington averaged 16.7 yards per reception in 2019 and of all the wideouts that caught at least 25 passes in the NFL last season, his average ranked 11th. The man stretches the field.
Even without the possibility of the Vikings losing players to absences related to COVID-19, Washington still makes some sense to bolster the receiving room. It would become a crowded room for Minnesota, but the team would put the best players on the field, obviously.
The Vikings would probably have to send a fourth or fifth-round draft pick to the Steelers to retain the services of Washington, especially if Minnesota appeared to be in a desperate situation.
Sign free agent Jarius Wright
This particular option is sensible for a couple of palpable reasons. First, Jarius Wright is homeless in terms of professional football employment. The Carolina Panthers declined to pick up the 2020 option on Wright’s contract, so the man needs a new team.
If Wright was to interview with the Vikings, his candidacy would be rather transparent. He spent six years in Minnesota from 2012 to 2017 and he had a propensity for crucial catches–especially on third down.
During his six-year stint with the Vikings, he pulled down 153 catches for 2,039 yards. In both metrics, this was third-best on the team in those seasons. Wright knows Minnesota and they are familiar with him.
His role was diminished in his final two seasons with the Vikings as they tried (emphasis on the try) to foster the development of youngster Laquon Treadwell. It didn’t really work. The team also auditioned veteran pass-catcher Michael Floyd, but that was also a failure.
Hypothetically, Wright would have his first go-round with quarterback Kirk Cousins. This could be lucrative for the veteran receiver and the enterprise if the team was open to the concept.
Sign free agent Jordan Matthews
Jordan Matthews encountered an odd bit of luck with Philadelphia Eagles. He joined the Eagles in 2014 by the way of Vanderbilt University and remained with them for three years before he was traded to the Buffalo Bills in 2017. He stayed there for one season and then he eventually made his way back onto Philadelphia’s roster.
What so strange about that? The year he left the Eagles, the team won its one-and-only Super Bowl. And, yes, this was at the expense of the Vikings. So, the man has been with Philadelphia for the majority of his career and during the one season he was not with them, they up and won a championship. Bummer for him.
During his first stint with the Eagles, Matthews led the team in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. He has it in him. Interestingly, no other wideout for Philadelphia was remotely close to his level production from 2014 to 2016.
Right now Matthews is 28-years-old. He would theoretically be in the prime of his career. However, he was largely silent in the 2019 season while playing in a total of three games with the Eagles and San Franciso 49ers.
Matthews is known for his sticky hands and he has experience of being the number-one wide receiving option on a team. Something that could potentially intrigue Minnesota.
Trade for Willie Snead
This 27-year-old is a speed merchant. And, he’s a speed merchant that is currently in the process of a burial on the depth chart of a run-happy team.
The Baltimore Ravens have three other competent wide receivers on their roster that includes Marquise Brown, Miles Boykin, and Devin Duvernay. Similarly to Steelers, this is not a phenomenal group of talent, but it is a lot of bodies.
What’s more, the Ravens ran the football more than any other team in the NFL during 2019. They are giving off no vibes that signal a change of course. Should the Vikings have an opening in their wide receiver room, Willie Snead would be a fit.
He had two seasons with New Orleans Saints to start in his career in which he accrued north of 850 receiving yards. Snead can return kicks and punts in a pinch in addition to having playoff experience with both the Saints and Ravens.
Similar to what it would take to acquire James Washington from Pittsburgh, Minnesota would likely have to send a later-round draft pick to Baltimore to make the deal the work. Heck, the Vikings conspired last summer with the Ravens for a failed kicker. So this, too, would not be out of the realm of possibility.
Sign free agent Demaryius Thomas
Super Bowl champion Demaryius Thomas has played for virtually every NFL team since departing the Denver Broncos in 2018. So why not the Vikings?
That was a bit facetious. Thomas left Denver in 2018 and has since been under contract with the Houston Texans, New England Patriots, and New York Jets. Quite a few stops in two seasons for a once-feared wideout.
Thomas was the fourth-leading wide receiver of the last decade in the NFL with 9,763 career receiving yards. He’s covered some ground. He also chipped in 63 touchdowns and that was also the fourth-best of the 2010s amongst all wideouts.
He will be 33-years-old on Christmas Day, and that would be the perfect time for Thomas to explode against the Saints inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome when Minnesota is scheduled to travel south for the holiday match-up.
It is not vividly evident how much Thomas has left in the tank. But the Vikings would be wise to look into his availability if they need another reputable pass-catcher at some point in 2020.