4 remaining free agents that could start for the Vikings in 2022

Matt Paradis – C

2021 Team: Carolina Panthers

Many Vikings fans have been up in arms about the team potentially targeting free-agent center JC Tretter this offseason. But Matt Paradis is another option to bolster the team’s interior offensive line play.

Paradis may be a cheaper option for Minnesota, as he is a year Tretter’s senior, and he is coming off an ACL tear in early November last year.

As for play on the field, Tretter and Paradis would both be improvements over Garrett Bradbury. Paradis’ worst career PFF grade for a season is better than Bradbury’s best.

The Vikings did decline Bradbury’s fifth-year option, but that does not necessarily mean they are itching to move on from him. As a former first-round pick, his fifth-year option would have made him the third-highest paid center in the league, so it makes sense as to why Minnesota was not willing to pay that.

The new Vikings regime has no ties to Bradbury since they did not draft him. If he starts the 2022 season off with some disappointing performances, they may not want to wait until 2023 to replace him.

Having Paradis on the roster could work perfectly, as he may not be fully recovered early on in the 2022 season. Once healthy, Paradis could jump in to replace Bradbury if need be.

Minnesota general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell have attempted to attack the team’s offensive line issue by throwing multiple resources at the problem this year with the signings of free agents Jesse Davis, Chris Reed, and Austin Schlottmann in addition to drafting Ed Ingram in the second round. Signing Paradis would be one last spaghetti noodle for the Vikings to throw at the wall.