4 low-risk trade ideas for the Vikings to add depth in 2022
By Luke Parrish
Yetur Gross-Matos – DE (Carolina Panthers)
A big reason for Minnesota’s struggles on defense last season was their lack of a pass rush. Pair that with a depleted secondary and they were set up for failure throughout the entire season. If they want that to change any time soon, the Vikings need to seek help at those spots however they can.
The Carolina Panthers have built their defense through the draft over the past few years by spending their high picks on impact players. Jeremy Chinn, Derrick Brown, Brian Burns, and Yetur Gross-Matos were all part of the plan to revitalize their defense, and it has worked pretty well.
Still, with Burns emerging as one of the league’s top pass rushers, they have not needed a ton of impact from Gross-Matos despite using a second-round pick on him in 2020. In fact, he has only started nine games with just 6.0 sacks to his credit through two seasons.
Yetur Gross-Matos was a traits-based prospect coming out of Penn State, but his career has not taken off since arriving in Carolina. They could look to unload him for extra draft picks in 2022 or 2023 while still having impactful edge players on the roster. If YGM is available, what do the Vikings stand to lose by going after him?
Danielle Hunter is not a lock to return in 2022 since his cap hit is set to be massive. With injuries essentially stealing two seasons of his career so far, the Vikings are not in a position to roll the dice on a big extension for Hunter. Trading or cutting him for cap space is an option as the team looks for some extra cash to spend this offseason.