Minnesota Vikings add a veteran player to their roster, and it’s not who you think it is
The Minnesota Vikings have a bevy of needs on their roster after the NFL Draft, and their latest signing doesn’t address those.
The Minnesota Vikings are in a very interesting spot going into the offseason. After a successful NFL Draft where they added nine players, there are still multiple holes. Wide receiver, edge rusher, and center are all spots where the Vikings should look at adding talent.
Free agency is now more fruitful than it was right before the NFL Draft. Without having to worry about the compensatory formula, teams are being more aggressive in adding players. The Vikings are hosting former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings, and they made a signing. However, it’s not Jennings.
Minnesota Vikings sign intriguing depth piece
On Wednesday, the Minnesota Vikings added another player to the roster, and it’s not at any of the above position. They signed defensive lineman Eric Johnson to a one-year contract.
Adding Johnson brings the room up to nine players ahead of the second and third wave of OTAs. The back end of that room doesn’t have the strongest depth, and adding Johnson gives them a little bit more.
A fifth-round pick out of Missouri State, Johnson spent all four seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, where he was a depth player. This past season, he played just 131 snaps. More of a run defender than pass rusher, Johnson had just two pressures on 73 pass rush reps, with 10 on 316 in his career. He’s played just 701 snaps in his career, meaning he is nothing but a depth player fighting for a roster spot.
It’s a really interesting move by the Vikings, who are now at 87 players out of 91, with punter Brett Thorson having the International Pathway Player designation. They will have their rookie minicamp next weekend, May 8-10th, which will likely end in multiple players signed. Even so, they will still target a couple more depth, veterans.