The offseason trade of Jonathan Greenard not only took away a key edge rusher from the Minnesota Vikings but also thinned their depth at the position. Behind Andrew Van Ginkel and new starter Dallas Turner, there's a lack of experience that brings the idea of adding a veteran to the mix before the season starts.
Of course, there are reasons why anyone could be available in July. Those reasons don't all have to be negative in every case; it's really a matter of narrowing down to who might fit best. Or more importantly, figuring out who doesn't fit if a move is on the radar.
Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports has freshly played matchmaker for some of the top remaining NFL free agents. He matched edge rusher Haason Reddick with the Vikings.
"One of the league's premier pass rushers from 2020-23 (he averaged nearly 13 sacks per season over that span), Reddick had just 3.5 combined sacks over the past two seasons. But while he had just 2.5 sacks in 2025, he amassed 34 pressures despite playing through several injuries."
"In Minnesota, Reddick's versatility would be put to use by veteran defensive coordinator Brian Flores. The fact that the Vikings employ a 3-4 defense -- which Reddick has a history of playing in -- makes this pairing even more logical."Â
Could Haason Reddick be a good fit for the Minnesota Vikings during the 2026 NFL season?
DeArdo is not the first to propose Reddick as a fit for the Vikings, but the beginning of his analysis says it all.
Reddick has offered next to nothing to whatever team he has suited up for the last two seasons. His desire for a new contract or a trade, first from the Philadelphia Eagles, then from the New York Jets after he was traded there, is a good bit to blame for that. He didn't suit up for the Jets until fairly deep into the 2024 season after asking them for a trade, with one sack over 10 games.
Tallying a solid number of pressures like he did last season is all well and good for Reddick, and it's a possible precursor to a resurgence in his sack total. But his calling card is finishing at the quarterback, not just putting him under duress, and there's only so much value he can offer being hypothetically versatile enough to drop into coverage. Putting it in Vikings-centric terms, he is not Van Ginkel in that regard.
If Brian Flores wants Reddick, there's a chance the Vikings will sign him between now and Week 1. It's just hard to see the Vikings' defensive coordinator wanting a washed veteran edge rusher who doesn't get after the quarterback nearly like he did at his peak, and our own Michael Haney summed it up perfectly.
"If he's not productive as a pass rusher, what value is he bringing to the defense?"
The answer to that question is zero, which should also be the ongoing level of interest the Vikings have in Reddick.
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