Vikings could have interest in trading for a former first-round pick

Multiple teams reportedly have interest in trading for New York Giants tight end Evan Engram. Could the Minnesota Vikings be one of them?

In his first season with the New York Giants, former Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph has seen an incredible dip in his numbers. In seven appearances this year, Rudolph has only managed to haul in 10 passes for 87 yards and no touchdowns.

The former Vikings tight end has been on the field for 58 percent of New York’s offensive snaps this season, so his severe decrease in production can’t exactly be blamed on a lack of opportunities.

However, Rudolph might be seeing an increase in targets in the near future as fellow Giants tight end Evan Engram could reportedly be dealt to another team before this season’s trade deadline.

Should the Minnesota Vikings attempt to acquire New York Giants TE Evan Engram?

Following the serious injury to Irv Smith Jr. before the start of the regular season, Minnesota decided to send a 2022 fourth-round draft pick to the New York Jets in exchange for tight end Chris Herndon.

Herndon has appeared in all six games for the Vikings this year, but he’s only managed to catch one pass. Now, that reception did result in a two-yard touchdown, but most figured the former Jets tight end would have more than just one catch after six games.

Minnesota does still have Tyler Conklin as their No. 1 tight end, and he’s performed well so far this season (22 catches, 240 yards, one touchdown). But if Conklin has to miss any time this year due to injury, the Vikings don’t really have a tight end that can make up for his lost production.

So it might be wise for Minnesota to consider adding another tight end to their roster before this season’s trade deadline on November 2.

If this is something the Vikings are interested in, they could look into Engram. A former first-round pick, Engram is drawing trade interest from multiple teams around the NFL according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Fowler used to cover the Vikings for the Pioneer Press and he’s broken multiple stories related to the team in the past, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if Minnesota is among the teams that reportedly have interest in making a deal for the tight end.

Acquiring Engram does come with a cap hit of around $6 million, so Minnesota and their $5 million in current spending money would have to make some cap adjustments or have New York keep some of his cap hit if they want to add him to their roster.

If the Vikings think the 27-year-old tight end can help them though, they can easily figure out a way to make a deal work.

In five games this season, Engram has 20 catches for 171 yards. In 2020, he caught 63 passes for 654 yards and one touchdown.