5 free agents Vikings can sign to replace Adrian Peterson
Adrian Peterson suffered a knee injury on Sunday Night Football. Here are five replacements the Minnesota Vikings can look to sign if Peterson is out.
It looks like the Minnesota Vikings suffered another devastating blow to their offense on Sunday night. Superstar running back Adrian Peterson had to leave the game with a knee injury in the Vikings’ 17-14 Week 2 victory over the rival Green Bay Packers.
Should Peterson miss significant time, this could be a tough injury for the Vikings to overcome on their quest to Super Bowl LI in Houston. Minnesota already has had to replace franchise quarterback Teddy Bridgewater with former No. 1 overall pick of the St. Louis Rams Sam Bradford. Bradford will be the guy going forward for the Vikings, playing well in Week 2 for Minnesota.
Replacing Bridgewater was difficult, but the Vikings seem to have made a wise short-term investment in Bradford. If Bridgewater is out until 2018, Bradford looks more than capable of quarterbacking the Vikings possibly through next season.
That being said, filling the void left by Peterson’s injury is almost impossible. The Vikings do have two other serviceable running backs in Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon to lessen the blow. If Minnesota needs to hit the free agency market, here are five players the Vikings could target to help replace Peterson’s productivity.
5. Marion Grice
To be fair, there are not a lot of great, NFL-caliber running backs available on the free agency market entering Week 3. One guy that hasn’t played very much but could be a fit in Minnesota is former Arizona Cardinals running back Marion Grice.
Grice has been on three NFL teams (Cardinals, San Diego Chargers, Detroit Lions) since being drafted out of Arizona State in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He’s only played in 10 NFL games once, for the 2014 Cardinals, and had 15 carries for 41 yards and a touchdown, but Grice could be a good schematic fit with the Vikings.
Two of the teams in the NFL best known for their vertical offenses are the Cardinals and Vikings. Both teams run a ton of five and seven-step drops in their passing attack. Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner’s scheme wouldn’t be a vast departure from what Grice played in under Bruce Arians in Glendale.
Signing Grice would mean the Vikings could use Asiata as the bell-cow back and let McKinnon emerge as the primary change of pace back. Grice might need some time to get into football shape, but he could be a decent emergency back for the Vikings to bring into the fold after the Peterson injury.
Aug 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Atlanta Falcons running back Brandon Wilds (20) runs the ball for a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns during the third quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Falcons beat the Browns 24-13. Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
4. Brandon Wilds
If there is a free agent rookie for the Vikings to look into, it might be former South Carolina Gamecocks tailback Brandon Wilds. Wilds is 23 years old and spent five seasons in Columbia going up against vaunted SEC front sevens.
Wilds nearly made the 2016 Atlanta Falcons opening day roster, but Atlanta already has a deep running back rotation with Devonta Freeman, Tevin Coleman and Terron Ward. Atlanta liked all four running backs, but could only keep three on its 53-man roster.
If Minnesota is looking for another change of pace back to compliment McKinnon with Asiata taking over the No. 1 role for Peterson, Wilds might be their guy. Playing in a dome at US Bank Stadium should aid in Wilds’ growth as a rookie NFL running back. Bradford likes to throw check downs and Wilds is definitely capable of reeling in a few of those passes.
Signing Wilds would mean that the Vikings want another speed guy versus a power guy in their backfield. Somebody is going to sign Wilds this season. He could be a good player in this league. It might be in Minnesota’s best interest to be proactive and sign him anyway to not let anybody else grab him off the waiver wire.
Dec 26, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Redskins running back Pierre Thomas (39) gains yardage against Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Kiko Alonso (50) at Lincoln Financial Field. The Redskins defeated the Eagles, 38-24. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
3. Pierre Thomas
If the Vikings sign either Grice or Wilds, that would signify Minnesota wants fresh legs over proven veteran experience in an NFL backfield. However, if Minnesota wants an aging veteran to add to their locker room, it might be an okay idea to sign former New Orleans Saints running back Pierre Thomas.
For years, Thomas was Saints quarterback Drew Brees’ safety valve in the New Orleans backfield. Thomas was an elite pass-catching tailback for the Saints from 2007 to 2014. He has 3,809 career rushing yards and 28 rushing touchdowns.
However, it’s his receiving game out of the backfield that sets him apart. Thomas has 2,692 career receiving yards for 12 touchdowns in nine NFL seasons. Bradford may really like having a reliable pass catcher in the backfield. Signing Thomas wouldn’t be crazy if it can help Bradford in 2016.
The only issue with Thomas is that he is 31 years old. He’ll be 32 by the time the Vikings play their first 2016 NFC Playoff game (if they make it that far). Then again, Peterson is over 30 years old, too. Yes, Thomas is not even in the same galaxy of a running back as Peterson, but it seems that the Vikings care more about productivity than age in their backfield.
Nov 15, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos running back Ronnie Hillman (23) carries the football in the fourth quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
2. Ronnie Hillman
If the Vikings are going to want a guy that can come in and make a difference in their running game Week 3 at the Carolina Panthers, give former Denver Broncos running back Ronnie Hillman a call.
Denver cut Hillman this past offseason after he played a big role on offense for the eventual Super Bowl 50 Champions. Hillman just turned 25 and only has 452 career carries as an NFL tailback. Though he’s never rushed for over 1,000 yards in a season, his yards per attempt have increased each season. He rushed for 4.2 yards per carry in 2015.
Hillman is a capable receiver out of the backfield with 67 career receptions for 431 yards and a touchdown. Given that he was never the featured back in any of his four years with the Broncos, Hillman probably doesn’t have the wear and tear of most four-year NFL veteran running backs.
Though he’s not the punishing runner that Peterson is, Hillman would be a welcome addition to the Vikings’ running back room to play alongside Asiata and McKinnon should Peterson miss significant time. Hillman has played in big games. Minnesota expects to play in big games this winter. This could be an ideal situation for Hillman to come aboard with in 2016.
Oct 4, 2015; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills running back Karlos Williams (29) celebrates his touchdown against the New York Giants during the second half at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Giants beat the Bills 24-10. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
1. Karlos Williams
If Peterson is out for a while, would it make sense for the Vikings to take a flyer on former Buffalo Bills running back Karlos Williams? Absolutely. Though he is currently serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, Williams is the only bell-cow back available on the waiver wire.
Minnesota is more than capable of treading water with Asiata and McKinnon the next two weeks before Williams can return. Keep in mind that Williams is leaving a very odd situation in Buffalo. He was cut by the Bills for being overweight. This is the same NFL franchise that saw its head coach Rex Ryan remove his lap band to gain weight to help support his twin brother, defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, lose weight.
Williams has tremendous football talent. By getting out of Buffalo in his early 20s, he has a chance to be a great football player if he lands with the right team. In 11 games for the 2015 Bills, Williams rushed for 517 yards and seven touchdowns, splitting carries with LeSean McCoy.
Signing Williams could be another gamble that could pay off for the Vikings like the Bradford trade seems to. Minnesota will have two weeks to get Williams into football shape. He’ll be running angry all season after being cut by the dysfunctional Bills after his rookie season in 2015.
Williams will enter the second quarter of the 2016 NFL season with fresh legs. He might be the only player on the waiver wire that can display Peterson’s level of dynamism in the backfield. Let’s hope that Williams is ready to play some football in 2016. The Vikings might need him.
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