5 players the Vikings could realistically trade for prior to the deadline

Johnathan Abram – S (Las Vegas Raiders)

The Raiders have reportedly placed Johnathan Abram on the trade block midway through his fourth season. Minnesota drafted Lewis Cine to be a box safety that can help in the run game but his rookie season ended due to injury after a slow start.

Abram has started all 33 games that he’s played since joining the Raiders in 2019 but has yet to play a full season. His aggressive style of play lends itself to injuries, but the impact he can have in the run game is something the Vikings should at least consider.

The defense has taken strides this season, but chunk plays continue to be a problem through six games. Cam Bynum and Harrison Smith have done well in the secondary, but as Brian Asamoah continues to ramp up his role in the defense, the Vikings need more bodies to throw into the box in early running downs.

Adding Abram with a plan of rotating him into the box and providing plenty of looks for opposing offenses is an idea that makes a lot of sense. Minnesota needs more of an identity on defense and stopping the run has been an issue for nearly three years now.

Trevor Moehrig has supplanted Abram as the key safety of the future in Las Vegas as the Raiders continue to remove draft picks from the Mike Mayock era. There will be some secondary help available at the deadline, but Johnathan Abram seems like a guy the Vikings could use.