7 free-agent safeties the Vikings could sign in 2023
By Luke Parrish
Marcus Allen
2022 Team: Pittsburgh Steelers
The goal of free agency is not to find multiple high-end starters for the Vikings right now. They need to first fill the depth and use what money they have to fill the bigger holes on the roster. For safeties, the value in this crop of free agents is not necessarily worth spending, given the shape of the roster.
Instead, Minnesota should find value that can contribute on special teams or as a rotational player, with Eric Rowe being the top of the line. Marcus Allen has spent time under Brian Flores and can be an in-the-box safety that contributes in certain packages.
Allen has never been a boxscore filler, but perhaps a larger role with a new team could be what he is looking for. In five seasons with the Steelers, Allen recorded just 57 tackles with three total starts to his credit and has not forced a turnover.
The numbers are slim and uninspiring, but Allen can be a difference-maker on special teams, an area that Minnesota’s young defensive backs struggled with. Cine suffered his injury on special teams last season and was not particularly reliable prior to that.
This is not going to be a name that blows fans away, but Allen is certainly someone to keep an eye on as a depth option.