3 questions we still have for the Vikings after the 2024 trade deadline

The Minnesota Vikings were active for the third straight year at the trade deadline, picking up running back Cam Akers and left tackle Cam Robinson in pre-deadline trades. But as the Vikings approach the second half of the season, there are still some issues that went unsolved.

The Vikings are in a great spot and own a 6-2 record heading into Sunday’s Week 10 game at the Jacksonville Jaguars.

But as an NFC contender, it may be some of the trades Minnesota didn’t make that have created the most questions as they continue their playoff push.

Questions we still have for the Minnesota Vikings after the trade deadline

1. Can the Vikings interior defensive line create some pressure?

Talk to any football coach, and they’ll tell you how pressure is more important than sacks when it comes to affecting a quarterback. But the Vikings have a problem in that none of their interior pass-rushers have created consistent pressure over the first half of the season.

The starting trio of Harrison Phillips, Jerry Tillery, and Jonathan Bullard have combined for 26 pressures this season, according to PFF, and the pass-rushing chops appear even weaker when you account for the pass-rush win rate. 

Pass rush win rate, which according to PFF accounts for the percentage of “wins” against blocking on non-penalty snaps, has been a problem for Minnesota this year as Jihad Ward leads the team at 9.1 percent but ranks 48th among 125 qualifiers this season.

Tillery ranks 66th on that list with a 7.4 percent win rate, but Phillips is 96th at 4.4 percent, and Bullard is at 119th with a 1.4 percent win rate.

Coaches may dismiss this by saying defensive linemen need to get in their gap to allow others on the defensive linemen to get plays, but more teams are finding disruptive pressure in the middle.

Take the Indianapolis Colts for example, who used Grover Stewart and DeForest Buckner to almost short-circuit the Vikings offense in their Week 9 win.

While the Vikings can fix the problem with an estimated $75 million in cap space next offseason, their goal is to win right now, and it would have been understandable if they made a blockbuster deal for Giants defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence (currently third among interior defenders with 33 pressures and 11th with a 13 percent win rate) to fill that void. Instead, an incumbent will have to step up and create another layer for Brian Flores’s defense.

2. How will the special teams injuries affect the Vikings?

Many may have figured that rookie kicker Will Reichard may have opened Pandora’s Box when he missed his first two field goals of the season in Sunday’s win, but it might have cost the Vikings more, considering the injuries that have long-term effects on the kicking game.

Reichard and long snapper Andrew DePaola were both placed on injured reserve this week, leaving two holes on Minneasota's special teams and a bunch of anxiety in the minds of the fan base.

Despite the two misses, Reichard has been outstanding in his rookie year, knocking down 14-of-16 field goals and making all 23 extra points. Minnesota has brought back John Parker Romo after he lost out to Reichard during training camp, and Romo has the leg to replace Reichard for now after making 17-of-19 field goals, including a 57-yarder, with the XFL’s San Antonio Brahmas in 2023.

But even if Romo is solid DePaola may be a bigger loss. A two-time Pro Bowler and a former All-Pro selection, DePaola has been an elite long snapper for Minnesota and something Vikings fans may take for granted when they line up for a kick or a punt.

Fans who may remember the Austin Cutting experiment know how a long snapper can change everything, and it may require a calibration period as Minnesota plays without Reichard and DePaola for at least the next four weeks.

3. Can he play guard (or center)?

Like Batman and the Joker, it feels like we are destined to do this forever. The Vikings' guard and center positions have been a black hole since Steve Hutchinson left Minnesota in the early 2010s, including in Sunday’s win over the Colts.

Minnesota center Garrett Bradbury and right guard Ed Ingram drew the most angst from Vikings fans on Sunday, but they were both graded highly by PFF. Even so, Bradbury and Ingram still rank in the top five in the NFL pressures allowed at their respective positions entering Week 10.

There’s also something to be said for Minnesota's Blake Brandel experiment at left guard, which has gone well but still allowed five pressures in Sunday’s win over the Colts.

It wouldn’t have been shocking if the Vikings added another depth piece at the deadline but they may feel like they have it with the return of Dalton Risner. While Risner may not start, he’s a suitable insurance policy in case things really go haywire on the interior of the offensive line.

While the addition of Cam Robinson helps at left tackle, the Vikings need something from the interior, otherwise they could come up short of where they want to be at the end of the year.

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