Vikings listed as a ‘best fit’ for former top-10 draft pick

As the 2022 season inches closer, the Minnesota Vikings were recently listed as a “best fit” for free-agent tight end Eric Ebron by Bleacher Report.

With less than a month remaining until the Minnesota Vikings begin their training camp this summer, there are still some moves that the team could make in order to improve their roster before the start of the 2022 regular season.

When it comes to the tight end position group, this is certainly a part of the Vikings’ current roster that lacks depth. Irv Smith Jr. is the clear No. 1 tight end for Minnesota heading into the 2022 campaign. But if he has to miss any time next season, the Vikings don’t really have anyone behind him that can make up for his production out on the field.

Knowing this, it wasn’t very surprising when Bleacher Report’s Ian Wharton recently listed Minnesota as one of three “best fits” for free-agent tight end Eric Ebron.

Should the Minnesota Vikings sign free-agent tight end Eric Ebron?

Selected by the Detroit Lions with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, Ebron has had himself a solid career during his tenure in the league.

For the last two seasons, the 29-year-old tight end was a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Ebron was able to make an impact for the Steelers in 2020 when he finished with 56 catches for 558 yards and five touchdowns in 15 games.

However, he only appeared in eight games last season, which led to him hauling in just 12 passes for 84 yards and one score. A knee injury is what kept Ebron sidelined for more than half of the year in 2021, but a few months ago, he claimed that he is fully healthy.

If the Vikings feel he is still capable of putting up numbers similar to what he finished with during the 2020 campaign, then he should definitely be someone they at least consider signing.

Minnesota’s new offensive scheme isn’t expected to be one that utilizes tight ends very much, so the team might not even really be that concerned about the lack of depth behind Smith.

But if Smith has to miss any time in 2022 due to an injury, Ebron is still someone the Vikings should probably have in the back of their mind as a potential addition if he is still available at their time of need.