The Minnesota Vikings are 5-0, and the conversation has shifted from how good they can be to how far this team can go. If Minnesota wants to make a legitimate Super Bowl run, a trade or two before the NFL trade deadline makes a lot of sense. To map out what those deals could look like, I used the new A to Z Sports trade simulator, which is built on years of NFL trade data and contract information.

Most of the trade chatter around the Vikings centers on guard, tight end, and running back. However, one position hasn’t received nearly enough attention: pass rusher.

Why the Minnesota Vikings should add to the pass rush

The Vikings have done a great job generating pressure. They’ve also stayed abnormally healthy, with defensive lineman Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins as the only player to miss time with an injury. That kind of luck rarely lasts an entire season.

Super Bowl teams almost always have a deep defensive line, and you can never have too many pass rushers. Adding another one would allow defensive coordinator Brian Flores to spell Dallas Turner, Andrew Van Ginkel, or Jalen Redmond for a few extra snaps a game. Those snaps matter in the playoffs, because fresher legs mean less wear and tear in January.

Minnesota also has the ammunition. The Vikings hold 10 draft picks, with an 11th likely coming in a compensatory pick for Jalen Nailor. They can afford to make a trade and still have plenty of draft capital.

Khalil Mack makes a lot of sense

Los Angeles Chargers edge rusher Khalil Mack is the obvious name. Vikings fans saw Mack at his absolute peak with the Chicago Bears. He’s 35, at the tail end of his career, and making $18 million. Still, the Chargers are 0-5, and Los Angeles would likely eat some of that money to make the deal fit under Minnesota’s salary cap.

I expect Mack’s trade market to be crowded, so the Vikings should be ready to pay a little extra. A fifth-round pick should get it done, and the best one Minnesota owns came from the New York Giants. That’s the one I’d send.

Mack isn’t the type of edge rusher Flores traditionally uses. Still, you can make it work with some minor adjustments. Flores could build packages that kick Mack inside as a 3-technique and let him win with power, which is the majority of his game at this point.

While the focus here is on the pass rush, the Chargers have another player worth a look. Running back Kimani Vidal, a third-year player out of Troy, is listed at 5-foot-8 but is stout at 207 pounds with real speed. He’s also a ferocious pass blocker, which is key with what the Vikings would be asking him to do. With Keaton Mitchell and 2025 first-round pick Omarion Hampton on the roster, Los Angeles can afford to trade him.

Aaron Jones has had a hard time staying healthy, and Jordan Mason hasn’t had the cleanest bill of health in his career either. Mason is about to come off injured reserve with a broken thumb, and that’s just the latest injury. Sending the sixth-round pick from the New England Patriots for Vidal, who is still on his rookie contract, would give the Vikings a third running back to fill the DeeJjay Dallas role. That’s a no-brainer.

Washington Commanders could become sellers

The Washington Commanders are where the intrigue lies for me. Things are not going well for coach Dan Quinn’s team in the NFC East, and Washington just tied the Giants. A couple more losses could spark a fire sale.

That doesn’t mean the Commanders will move core pieces like Odafe Oweh, Sonny Styles, or Sam Cosmi. They are the cornerstones for the franchise. Players on expiring deals are a different story.

Frankie Luvu is the first name that intrigues me. He’s a tweener who can play off-ball linebacker or edge rusher, and that versatility is exactly what Flores loves. Luvu just turned 30 with one year left on his deal and a base salary of $7.55 million. A fifth-round pick feels like fair value, though the Vikings would need Washington to eat some salary to facilitate a deal.

Luvu could start in sub packages while he learns the checks of the Flores system. Eventually, Minnesota could run 3-3-5 looks with Luvu as the third off-ball linebacker with Blake Cashman and Eric Wilson, along with Van Ginkel, Turner, and Redmond up front. Mug all the gaps, with the flexibility to drop just about everybody.

Dorance Armstrong is the other intriguing option. He was a rotational pass rusher under Quinn with the Dallas Cowboys before signing a three-year deal worth $11 million a year. He’s played relatively well for the Commanders with 10.5 sacks during his two-plus season. If he gives the Vikings five sacks over the final nine games, that’s a win.

Both players also have a head start on the scheme. Commanders defensive coordinator Daronte Jones, who was with the Vikings for the last four seasons, already runs some of the same concepts, so the learning curve won’t be as steep.

For Armstrong, a sixth-round pick probably gets it done. In the same way that the Commanders would need to eat some salary with Luvu, they would have to with Armstrong, who has a base salary of $8.595 million.

None of these moves are flashy, but they would be impactful. The best teams in January and February have deep rotations up front, though. One injury can make an edge room thin in a hurry, and adding a fourth rusher would give the Vikings a real rotation for the stretch run.