With the Vikings' 2023 season opener less than a week away, the roster is mostly set. 

Last week, the team set the initial 53-man roster and the 16-man practice squad. The bottom five-or-so spots will likely fluctuate throughout the season, but the meat of the roster won't change. 

However, if the team is serious about competing in a wide-open NFC North, there is one player on the free agent market who could greatly help out.

Bleacher Report's Alex Ballentine recently picked one free agent who would benefit each NFL team. 

For the Vikings, Ballentine mentioned veteran corner Bradley Roby. Regarding the Roby-Vikings fit, Ballentine offered the following analysis:

The Minnesota Vikings have one of the youngest cornerback groups in the NFL. In some ways, that's exciting. They could have some breakout players in a group that includes new free-agent signee Byron Murphy Jr., second-year players Akayleb Evans and Andrew Booth Jr. as well as third-round pick Mekhi Blackmon.

However, going into the season with almost no experience at a position as crucial as corner is a scary proposition. The Vikings let Patrick Peterson walk this offseason and haven't replaced him with another veteran.

Roby has 60 starts under his belt as an NFL corner. Byron Murphy Jr., Mekhi Blackmon, Andrew Booth Jr., and Akayleb Evans have just 51 combined. And 48 of those are from Murphy alone. 

Safe to say, Roby would bring much-needed experience and mentorship. 

While Roby is on the downslope of his career, he still performed admirably when called upon last season in New Orleans. The veteran corner held opposing QBs to a 79.4 passer rating. 

Evans, Blackmon, and Booth are the future, but Roby presents as a nice stopgap option to take some pressure off of the young guys. At this point in the year, it's unlikely Roby would cost much. 

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Featured image via © Brad Rempel | 2023 Aug 26