3 sneaky roster needs for the Minnesota Vikings in 2022
By Nik Edlund
Defensive Tackle
On paper, the Vikings would appear to be set at defensive tackle. They brought in Dalvin Tomlinson a season ago and also still have Michael Pierce under contract for two more seasons. Behind those two are the impressive Armon Watts, and James Lynch who flashed at times last year.
There are a couple of problems, however. Number one is that neither Pierce nor Tomlinson were all that impressive a season ago. They definitely didn’t help the Vikings run defense, and Pierce missed a large portion of the season due to an injury. One, or potentially even both of these guys could be let go in the offseason creating a huge hole in the middle.
The Vikings are also likely transitioning to a 3-4 defensive front and will be looking for a true nose tackle. Tomlinson, Pierce, and even Armon Watts could fill that role but if two of those are let go to create cap space, a major need arises.
If they do keep Pierce or Tomlinson, they aren’t long-term fixes and the Vikings could draft a player relatively high who could be groomed to be the nose tackle of the future while providing immediate depth at the position.