3 positions Vikings must improve via trade before the 2024 deadline

In a year where almost nobody believed the Minnesota Vikings would be competing for a spot in the playoffs, the team sits as one of only two remaining undefeated teams left in the entire NFL.

The Vikings had a bye in Week 6, which should have given Minnesota general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah some extra time to scout potential players that could be on the trade block as this season progresses.

Even at 5-0, there are still holes on the current Vikings' roster, and the front office has an opportunity to help make this team a legitimate threat in the NFC. Let's take a look at the three key positions Minnesota must look to improve by this season's trade deadline on November 5th.

Positions the Minnesota Vikings need to improve with a trade before the deadline

Position No. 1

Right Guard

Every week this year, it seems like there’s one consistency with Minnesota's offense and that would be the struggles of starting right guard Ed Ingram.

Ingram is one of PFF's worst-graded interior offensive linemen in the NFL this season, and although he can display dominance at times, he is extremely inconsistent. Week after week, he proves he is the weakest link on the Vikings' offense.

There has been some speculation that when Minnesota offensive lineman Dalton Risner is healthy, he will take over the starting right guard role. But even then, how much of an upgrade would Risner be? Ingram is a much better run blocker, but Risner is a much better pass blocker.

Position No. 2

RB2

In Week 5, we saw just how important running back Aaron Jones is to the Vikings offense. Jones went down with a hip injury early in the first half of Minnesota's win over the New York Jets, and the offense could not get going with Ty Chandler in the backfield.

Minnesota's offensive struggles against the Jets should be concerning if Jones needs to miss any time, as it seems Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell does not trust the team's No. 2 running back, Ty Chandler, enough to shoulder the load. It's also unfair to expect really any sort of impact from Minnesota's current third-string running back, Myles Gaskin.

A situation for the Vikings to monitor is with the Carolina Panthers and their two running backs, Miles Sanders and Chubba Hubbard. The Panthers are 1-5 this season, and they could be willing to unload Sanders or Hubbard before the trade deadline in November.

Position No. 3

Interior Defensive Line

Minnesota's interior defensive line has been fine this year. They don’t have any world-beaters, but they are a fine group that plays hard and has come up huge several times during the first five games of the 2024 season.

However, this position group is, without question, the weakest group on the Vikings' defense this year. Adding a dominant interior defender before the trade deadline could put Minnesota over the top and cement its position as the premiere team in the NFC.

If Adofo-Mensah wants to make a big splash, then one name that comes to mind is Tennesee Titans defensive lineman Jeffrey Simmons.

The Titans are now 1-4 this season, and it's hard to imagine a top defender like Simmons wanting to go through another rebuild. It might be costly to acquire him, but Simmons is a guy worth trading a first-round pick for, even with limited draft resources.

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