Minnesota Vikings team building strategy takes a hit after another talented defender signs big extension

When the Minnesota Vikings entered the offseason, they had a plan to improve the roster. There were multiple spots that needed to be addressed this offseason and they accomplished quite a bit of it.

They drafted their quarterback of the future and completely reworked the edge room with a first-round pick in Dallas Turner and really good veterans that fit the system in Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel.

The one thing they didn't spend a lot of capital on is the defensive tackle. They did add Jerry Tillery and rostered three rookies acquired in round seven or later while extending Harrison Phillips . It was puzzling that they didn't spend more salary cap space or draft capital trying to fortify the defensive line, but they seemed to have a plan in place.

Well, it's not going how they wanted.

The Vikings might need to trade for DL help

Going into the season, the defensive line looked to be one of the deeper positions for free agency in 2025. It's one of the reasons a team in the Vikings' situation could theoretically punt on fortifying it. They used the wealth of talent at edge rusher to fix the room and they did a great job in doing so.

With their projected $75+ million in cap space, the Vikings would have plenty to throw at whatever defensive lineman they wanted to add to the roster. Well, over the last few months, the top options have all been signed to major contract extensions.

• Indianapolis Colts' DeForest Buckner: 2 years, $46 million
• Carolina Panthers' Derrick Brown: 4 years, $96 million
• New England Patriots' Christian Barmore: 4 years, $83 million
• Green Bay Packers' Kenny Clark: 3 years, $64 million
• Detroit Lions' Alim McNeill: 4 years, $97 million
• Pittsburgh Steelers' Cameron Heyward: 2 years, $29 million

That has made the Vikings' potential pursuit that much harder this upcoming offseason. The talent pool of projected free agents is significantly smaller now.

• New York Jets' Javon Kinlaw
• Denver Broncos' D.J. Jones
• Cincinnati Bengals' B.J. Hill
• Houston Texans' Folorunso Fatukasi
• Seattle Seahawk's Jarran Reed
• Tennessee Titans' Sebastian Joseph-Day
• Detroit Lions' Levi Onwuzurike
• Dallas Cowboys' Osa Odighizuwa

There is a solid group of players there but nobody who is a massive difference-maker. That is who the Vikings would have wanted to acquire and pair them with a high draft pick. This NFL Draft class is really good when it comes to high-end defensive tackles and there are a lot of them available. Michigan has two of them in Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, Kentucky's Deone Walker, Ole Miss' Walter Nolen and Ohio State's Tyleik Williams.

Where do the Vikings go from here?

Without having a lot of options in free agency and the uncertainty of what the NFL Draft will bring you in year one, the Vikings could be in a position where they need to find other means to get a defensive tackle.

This is where a trade could come into play. It's not that likely, but we did explore a trade for Dexter Lawrence of the New York Giants and how that could manifest. Lawrence did recently sign a major extension and isn't likely to be traded, but the idea is one worth exploring.

Who could the Vikings swing a trade for? Tennessee Titans' Jeffery Simmons is the most likely candidate they could make a play for. He has three years left on his contract after this season at some large cap hits of $17.5 million, $20.173 million and $23 million.

However, he would cost a pretty penny, likely the Vikings' 2025 first-round pick and more. That could be a tough pill to swallow for the Vikings, but having a quarterback of the future on a rookie contract in J.J. McCarthy is why you make a move like this.

The Vikings are projected to have around $75 million in cap space next year and two defensive tackles in Jonathan Bullard and Jerry Tillery are free agents after the season. Both could be brought back and still make a big swing for a player like Simmons.

The Vikings could make a major move for a defensive tackle and it wouldn't be a surprise. The tough part is, they may have to make a major move to truly improve the unit.

Related: Vikings catch a break ahead of NFC North showdown and it could be a bigger deal down the line