T.J. Lang: 5 best fits in NFL free agency
By John Buhler
Minnesota Vikings
NFC, North
Injuries ruined what should have been a Super Bowl contending year for the 2016 Minnesota Vikings. After a surprising 5-0 start, Mike Zimmer’s NFC North team finished 3-8 to miss the NFC Playoffs at 8-8. The offense collapsed thanks to major health issues.
General manager Rick Spielman knows that quarterback Teddy Bridgewater may not ever play football again after nearly losing his leg in the final week of preseason practice. He does have a solid starting quarterback in Sam Bradford, but he too has an injury-riddled past.
As reckless as it sounds, Spielman needs to throw mud at the wall and see what sticks in rebuilding this offensive line of his because it is undeniably horrendous. Though the Vikings only have $20,428,209 worth of cap space, they need to use most of that in fixing this porous offensive line.
Minnesota doesn’t have a first round pick this season due to the Bradford trade with the Eagles. If the Vikings want to get better up front, they need to address it in free agency. One player they should target is Lang. He’d fit in well in Pat Shurmur’s offense. His addition to Minnesota would also make arch rival Green Bay worse.
Minnesota will again have to win with defense. However, it cannot leak like a sieve again on the offensive line. People will lose their jobs in Minneapolis if the Vikings offensive line resembles flimsy cardboard yet again. Lang will be expensive. If he’s healthy, he might be worth the price of a big contract for the Vikings.