7 free-agent defensive ends the Vikings could sign in 2022
By Nik Edlund
William Gholston
2021 Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs are a team that will be in transition this year, and one of their guys who could be playing in new colors in 2022 is defensive end William Gholston. Gholston is a massive human being standing 6-foot-6 and tipping the scales at 281 pounds. He’s been in the league since 2013 and has plenty of experience in the 3-4 defense.
Gholston can get after the passer a little bit, but that isn’t his strong suit. His specialty is stopping the run and forcing the runner inside. Gholston has been a tackling enthusiast with 352 in his career, 54 of which have come behind the line of scrimmage.
The Vikings’ run defense was horrible last season, and landing a guy like Gholston, who is a proven run stopper, would be a major score.
Gholston is 30-years-old, and that is a negative, though it will also lower his cost a bit. Another negative factor is that he has played in Tampa Bay all his career and convincing him to come up to a cold-weather state like Minnesota could be a difficult sell.
William Gholston may not be the most flashy defensive end on this list, but he’s a great run defender who would upgrade one of the worst aspects of this defense from a season ago.