{"id":900301,"date":"2026-05-24T21:42:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T21:42:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/900301\/"},"modified":"2026-05-24T21:42:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T21:42:23","slug":"minnesota-vikings-news-and-links-do-the-vikings-need-another-edge-rusher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/900301\/","title":{"rendered":"Minnesota Vikings News and Links: Do The Vikings Need Another EDGE Rusher?"},"content":{"rendered":"

It has been an interesting offseason for our Minnesota Vikings. There were some moves we would have like to have seen made but overall, they have done a very good job of being frugal with the wallet and not making any big signings. They did give James Pierre<\/a> a 2 yr 8.25M before signing Jauan Jennings<\/a> which occurred after the compensatory pick calculation expiration date. As of today, overthecap has the Vikings with $11,508,167 in cap space. They will get another 12.5M in cap space from the Harrison Smith<\/a> and Jonathan Allen<\/a> post June 1 releases. That will give them roughly 24M in cap space before the Jennings contract details are applied. I imagine that there will be a void year or two included in the Jennings contract. There is plenty of space to make moves and there could be even more once they extend O\u2019Neill which I think should happen.<\/p>\n

I am not sure about the Eric Johnson and Isaiah Loudermilk signings but they are minimum level deals and their roster spots are not guaranteed. Having veterans to push al the youts is not a bad thing. I think they simply must sign a veteran edge rusher because all they have behind Turner and Van Ginkel are undrafted players. I like Derek Barnett<\/a> and Jadaveon Clowney. Joey Bosa<\/a> would be nice but he wants to go to the 49ers<\/a> apparently. I hope the team can get something done. Maybe there is a trade that can be worked out? What do you think?<\/p>\n

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Top 101 NFL free agents of 2026: Ranking the best players available
https:\/\/www.nfl.com\/news\/top-101-nfl-free-agents-of-2026-who-are-the-best-players-available<\/a><\/p>\n

Minnesota Vikings News and Links<\/p>\n

15 trade candidates heading into 2026 NFL training camps
https:\/\/www.pff.com\/news\/15-trade-candidates-heading-into-2026-nfl-training-camps<\/a><\/p>\n

LB Blake Cashman<\/a>, Minnesota Vikings
Once the centerpiece of Minnesota\u2019s fabulous defense, Cashman could be on the move after a down year.<\/p>\n

In 2025, Cashman didn\u2019t look like the strong linebacker of the last two years. His overall PFF grade dipped from 72.0 to 63.6, punctuated by his 48.6 PFF coverage grade. Nevertheless, he was good as a downhill player with a 7.7% run stop rate and a 5.3% missed tackle clip.<\/p>\n

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In light of Cashman\u2019s decline as well as this being the final year of his contract, the Vikings drafted linebacker Jake Golday in the second round as well as extended Eric Wilson<\/a>. That suggests that either he or Ivan Pace Jr.<\/a> could have their days numbered in purple.
\u2026
S Ronnie Hickman<\/a>, Cleveland Browns<\/a>
Although the Browns were widely lauded for assembling one of the league\u2019s best draft classes, their rookie crop might have ripple effects on someone like Hickman.<\/p>\n

The 24-year-old has been sneakily good since being an undrafted free agent out of Ohio State, producing at least a 70.6 overall PFF grade in every year. In 2025 specifically, Hickman thrived in coverage with a 75.3 PFF coverage mark \u2014 the 10th-best among qualified safeties \u2014 while averaging a sound 29.0 snaps per reception.<\/p>\n

After Cleveland drafted Emmanuel McNeil-Warren in the second round, it suggests that either Hickman or Grant Delpit<\/a> isn\u2019t in the team\u2019s long-term future. Both are on expiring contracts, although Hickman seems like the better trade piece given his superior production and younger age.
\u2026
Dl Jer\u2019Zhan Newton<\/a>, Washington Commanders<\/a>
The Commanders relentlessly fortified their ailing defense this offseason, including along the defensive line. However, that negatively affects someone like Newton.<\/p>\n

The 36th overall pick in 2024 hasn\u2019t blossomed as Washington would\u2019ve hoped, notching a career 50.0 overall PFF grade with a 38.6 PFF run-defense grade. Yet what has been encouraging is Newton\u2019s pass-rushing, as his 9.3% pass-rush win rate placed in the 63rd percentile last year.<\/p>\n

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The Commanders inked former Texans<\/a> interior defender Tim Settle<\/a> to a three-year, $25.5 million contract during free agency, which only pushes Newton down the depth chart. The 23-year-old former Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year could garner attention for teams looking to bet on his upside.<\/p>\n

4 Vikings Trades We\u2019d Like to See This Summer
https:\/\/vikingsterritory.com\/2026\/news\/top_news\/vikings-trades-summer-2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The Vikings\u2019 Offseason Threw These Curveballs
https:\/\/vikingsterritory.com\/2026\/news\/top_news\/vikings-offseason-curveballs-2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Minnesota Vikings\u2019 quiet offseason did everything to maximize the one thing Kevin O\u2019Connell needs to get right
https:\/\/atozsports.com\/nfl\/minnesota-vikings-news\/minnesota-vikings-quiet-offseason-maximized-quarterback-position-kyler-murray-jj-mccarthy\/<\/a><\/p>\n

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Vikings QB Kyler Murray<\/a> labeled X-factor in NFC North
https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/articles\/vikings-qb-kyler-murray-labeled-135602239.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Lunchbreak: Detailed Quest to Hire Next Vikings General Manager in Progress
https:\/\/www.vikings.com\/news\/general-manager-search-interview-progress-adrian-peterson<\/a><\/p>\n

The Vikings Can Find An Advantage During An Obvious GM Search
https:\/\/zonecoverage.com\/2026\/minnesota-vikings-news\/the-vikings-can-find-an-advantage-during-an-obvious-gm-search\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Vikings Film Breakdown: Studying Rookie Defensive Lineman & Top 2026 Draft Pick Caleb Banks
https:\/\/www.vikings.com\/news\/caleb-banks-defensive-lineman-film-breakdown-review-analysis-2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Which NFL QBs Have the Most Help? Ranking All 32 Supporting Casts
https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/stories\/nfl\/which-nfl-qbs-have-most-help-ranking-all-32-supporting-casts<\/a><\/p>\n

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No 22. Minnesota Vikings<\/p>\n

They certainly have given whomever is their quarterback some good receivers to work with. Justin Jefferson<\/a> is as good as any in football when everything is working right with the offense, and Jordan Addison<\/a> is a strong No. 2. The Vikings also went out and added the underrated Jauan Jennings to give the QB another option. And TE T.J. Hockenson<\/a> is a big weapon in the passing game, too \u2014 at least when he\u2019s healthy.<\/p>\n

Beyond that, though, they really have to lean into the mind of head coach Kevin O\u2019Connell because there are some issues. The offensive line was not good nor healthy last season. And they lean way too much on 32-year-old, oft-injured RB Aaron Jones<\/a>. That lack of a dependable running game is big. It\u2019s why defenses could tee off on Vikings QBs, who were sacked 60 times last season \u2014 tied for second-most in the league.<\/p>\n

Vikings Film Breakdown: Studying New Wide Receiver Jauan Jennings
https:\/\/www.vikings.com\/news\/jauan-jennings-wide-receiver-film-breakdown-review-2026<\/a><\/p>\n

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Vikings Urged to Take Flier on 3rd-Year Playmaker Despite Crowded RB Room
https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/minnesota-vikings\/trey-benson-nfl-trade-rumors-news\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Vikings\u2019 Caleb Banks Gets Diamond \u2018Bank Vault\u2019 Chain After NFL Draft, New Video Shows
https:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/articles\/25430453-vikings-caleb-banks-gets-diamond-bank-vault-chain-after-nfl-draft-new-video-shows<\/a><\/p>\n

Vikings Rumor Report: Kayvon Thibodeaux<\/a>, Warren Moon\u2019s Take, Patrick Jones II
https:\/\/vikingsterritory.com\/2026\/news\/top_news\/vikings-rumors-thibodeaux-moon-jones<\/a><\/p>\n

Ranking the Vikings\u2019 2026 Opponents from Easiest to Hardest
https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/vikings\/onsi\/ranking-the-vikings-2026-opponents-from-easiest-to-hardest<\/a><\/p>\n

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Sam Darnold<\/a> \u201ctotally understands\u201d Vikings\u2019 decision to move on from him
https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/nfl\/profootballtalk\/rumor-mill\/news\/sam-darnold-totally-understands-vikings-decision-to-move-on-from-him<\/a><\/p>\n

J.J. McCarthy<\/a> May Thrive In A Real QB Competition
https:\/\/zonecoverage.com\/2026\/minnesota-vikings-news\/j-j-mccarthy-may-thrive-in-a-real-qb-competition\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Why the Vikings Keeping J.J. McCarthy Doesn\u2019t Prove He\u2019s Competing for QB1
https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/vikings\/onsi\/why-the-vikings-keeping-jj-mccarthy-doesnt-prove-hes-competing-for-qb1<\/a><\/p>\n

Vikings Urged to Make a Risky Move
https:\/\/purpleptsd.com\/2026\/vikings\/top_news\/vikings-urged-risky-move\/<\/a><\/p>\n

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The Vikings Might Have an OLB Problem
https:\/\/vikingsterritory.com\/2026\/news\/analysis\/vikings-olb-problem-2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The Vikings Put Huge Down Payment on New Defender
https:\/\/vikingsterritory.com\/2026\/news\/top_news\/the-vikings-down-payment<\/a><\/p>\n

Brian Flores Keeps Landing Behemoths for the Trenches
https:\/\/vikingsterritory.com\/2026\/news\/top_news\/brian-flores-land-behemoths<\/a><\/p>\n

Again, we all know the rules, but in case someone is new:<\/p>\n

While navigating the open thread, just assume it\u2019s sarcasm<\/p>\n

No discussion of politics or religion<\/p>\n

No feeding of the trolls<\/p>\n

Leave the gender hatred at the door<\/p>\n

Keep the bad language to a minimum (using the spoiler tags, if you must)<\/p>\n

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Speaking of which, if discussing a newer show or movie, please use spoiler tags<\/p>\n

No pictures that could get someone fired or in serious trouble with their employer<\/p>\n

If you can\u2019t disagree in a civil manner, feel free to go away<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It has been an interesting offseason for our Minnesota Vikings. There were some moves we would have like…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":900302,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2069],"tags":[220,6912,6512,11270,54,427,1215,113,9274,7,10778,21433,3544,1519,5856,10117,39375,5736,9085,8265,2780,755,4827,233,259,6,10779,1878,9250,222,11306,855,111,2480],"class_list":["post-900301","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-washington-commanders","tag-49ers","tag-aaron-jones","tag-andrew-van-ginkel","tag-blake-cashman","tag-cleveland-browns","tag-commanders","tag-derek-barnett","tag-detroit-lions","tag-eric-wilson","tag-football","tag-grant-delpit","tag-harrison-smith","tag-ivan-pace-jr","tag-j-j-mccarthy","tag-james-pierre","tag-jauan-jennings","tag-jerzhan-newton","tag-joey-bosa","tag-jonathan-allen","tag-jordan-addison","tag-justin-jefferson","tag-kayvon-thibodeaux","tag-kyler-murray","tag-minnesota","tag-minnesota-vikings","tag-nfl","tag-ronnie-hickman","tag-sam-darnold","tag-t-j-hockenson","tag-texans","tag-tim-settle","tag-washington","tag-washington-commanders","tag-washingtoncommanders"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/900301","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=900301"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/900301\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/900302"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=900301"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=900301"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=900301"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}