5 high-risk free agents the Vikings could sign in 2021
By Dean Jones
Kawann Short – DT
The Carolina Panthers made an expected move earlier this week by releasing Kawann Short. This saves them $9.82 million in salary-cap space and gives the Pro Bowl defensive tackle a chance to start fresh on a team that might have loftier ambitions in 2021.
This is currently a position of need for the Vikings. Minnesota is set to get Michael Pierce back into the fold next season after the free-agent signing opted out of the 2020 campaign due to COVID-19 health concerns. But getting another big body on the interior would help them massively.
Short checks all the boxes when he is firing on all cylinders. However, there is a serious health issue regarding the player that needs to be taken into consideration.
The former second-round pick has appeared in just five games over the last two years. A torn rotator cuff ended his 2019 season early and Short suffered a major shoulder problem that required surgery in 2020.
Stringent medical checks need to be made, of that, there is little doubt. But if everything checks out from this perspective, then the Vikings making Short an offer isn’t the worst idea in the world by any stretch of the imagination.
Considering Short received an $11 million payoff from the Panthers, he’ll probably be looking for the right fit rather than big money. Putting him on a line that would also include Pierce and Danielle Hunter is a solid selling point and one that might tip the scales in Minnesota’s favor.