The Denver Broncos got a little bit of the Minnesota Vikings flavor when they brought in general manager George Paton in 2021. More on the way?
The Denver Broncos brought in some players general manager George Paton was familiar with from his time with the Minnesota Vikings in 2021, and we could see more of that in 2022.
In 2021, Paton signed running back Mike Boone and defensive lineman Shamar Stephen in free agency. He also made an in-season trade for pass rusher Stephen Weatherly.
The Vikings are under new management as of the 2022 offseason with Rick Spielman being relieved of his duties as general manager and former Cleveland Browns executive Kwesi Adofo-Mensah taking his place.
The Vikings also moved on from head coach Mike Zimmer and some of his staff, including offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak who was hired by Denver Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett as quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator.
Which Minnesota Vikings could become Denver Broncos in 2022?
Even though Rick Spielman is no longer with the Vikings, the line of communication between the organization and George Paton is undeniably still open. Could we see the Broncos prioritize bringing in some Vikings players in free agency and through trades?
No, I’m not talking about Kirk Cousins. Not this time.
Even if you don’t include Kirk Cousins, I think there are actually quite a few Vikings players that could make a lot of sense for the Denver Broncos, and frankly, most of these moves would be pretty substantial.
Let’s take a look at some names of players I think we could see make the switch from the Twin Cities to the Mile High City in 2022.
Denver Broncos target from Vikings no. 1: Anthony Barr, LB
The Minnesota Vikings once used a first-round pick on the stellar linebacker out of UCLA.
Anthony Barr has been a mainstay for Minnesota, even after almost leaving for the New York Jets in free agency a couple of seasons ago.
At 6-foot-5, 257 pounds, Barr is not your traditional “linebacker” and I don’t think you necessarily have to play him in a traditional linebacker role.
Even entering his age 30 season, I feel like Barr has untapped potential when it comes to his ability to rush the passer off the edge. I’m not sure at this stage of his career that Barr could be a full-time EDGE player for you, but he’s a weapon for your defense, nonetheless.
Perhaps the biggest argument against adding a player like Barr is the fact that he missed six games this past season and 14 games the year before that.
Injuries have been piling up and given his recent injury history and age, it might not be wise to tie yourself to a player like this financially or in terms of guaranteeing him a starting position.
With that said, could Barr be an effective player for you working off the edge and playing an off-ball linebacker position?
I think so.
Even though he only played 11 games last season, he was on pace to shatter his previous career-high in QB hits as well as total tackles.
If you could get Barr on a team-friendly deal for two years, I think he could provide you some nice value as a three-down player.
Denver Broncos target from Vikings no. 2: Danielle Hunter, EDGE
Danielle Hunter is not going to turn 28 years old until October, and he’s already established himself as one of the top pass rushers in the NFL.
He’s three years into a five-year contract extension he signed with the Vikings, so to be abundantly clear — the Denver Broncos would have to trade for him.
That’s do-able.
The Vikings would be saving a ton of cap space (over $18 million) by trading or releasing Hunter. Although his base salary is under $2 million, he has a roster bonus worth $18.5 million due on March 20.
We would likely see a trade before then, obviously.
Coming off of a season in which he only played six games, Hunter’s value might be slightly lower than it should be in a trade, and if that’s the case, it’s a bargain the Denver Broncos can’t afford to pass up.
Combine the fact that there’s a new GM in Minnesota and Rick Spielman isn’t there to drive a hard bargain for George Paton on a guy they came together to draft, and you might have the makings of a perfect storm for the Denver Broncos here.
The Broncos could trade for Hunter and keep him for the duration of his contract (two years), or they could add a couple of years to it and move that guaranteed money around.
Over the last three seasons, Hunter has 35 sacks in 39 games. His production rate off the edge is outstanding and he could be a building block to pair with Bradley Chubb off the EDGE.
Denver Broncos target from Vikings no. 3: Sheldon Richardson, DL
There was a time not so long ago when we were writing articles on this site about the Denver Broncos being a prime landing spot for Sheldon Richardson in a trade or in free agency.
It seems like he’s become available quite a bit over the last five years, but he continues to produce on the field wherever he goes.
Back in the 2018 offseason, the Minnesota Vikings somehow managed to fit Sheldon Richardson under their salary cap after signing Kirk Cousins, landing two primary free agents that many in Broncos Country were hoping to land.
After playing that one season with the Vikings, he signed a three-year deal worth $37 million in Cleveland before ending up in Minnesota again last season for under $4 million.
Even if he comes at the same price he signed for with the Vikings last offseason — one year, $3.6 million — it would be a tremendous bargain for a Denver Broncos team that needs some additional depth and pass rush help on the interior defensive line.
Over the last four seasons, Richardson is averaging four sacks and 12 QB hits. That kind of productivity in rotation with players like Shelby Harris and Dre’Mont Jones could be extremely valuable to the Broncos in 2022.
Denver Broncos target from Vikings no. 4: Wyatt Davis, OG
Despite having a need at the right guard position in the 2021 season, we did not see rookie Wyatt Davis make his debut.
The third-round pick out of Ohio State was considered by many to be potentially the best interior offensive line prospect in the 2021 NFL Draft and he never saw the field.
Everyone is fascinated to know why he didn’t play, but former Vikings OC Klint Kubiak only offered this at the end of the 2021 season:
#Vikings OC Klint Kubiak on guard Wyatt Davis not playing a snap from scrimmage as a rookie: "His story has yet to be told. ... It's up to him. It's up to Wyatt to put a great offseason together."
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) January 6, 2022
Was it Kubiak’s choice to effectively redshirt Davis? Was it head coach Mike Zimmer, who was vocal in his criticism of other rookies on the roster?
Whatever the case, there’s obviously some familiarity between Kubiak and Davis and although Kubiak isn’t working with the offensive line, he could have some input on a move like this.
If new Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is willing to trade Davis, trading him to a situation where he may have an advocate on the coaching staff could make some sense.
The Vikings could go after Austin Corbett in free agency, someone who has played for new head coach Kevin O’Connell and gives them a proven, veteran option.
Why would the Broncos take this shot? Maybe Kubiak would vouch for Davis as a potential longtime starter at one of the guard positions opposite Quinn Meinerz. There are some question marks right now at the guard and center positions so we could see some shuffling from the Broncos on the interior offensive line.
Denver Broncos target from Vikings no. 5: Tyler Conklin, TE
There may not be many in Broncos Country that agree with me, but I think this team should be pursuing opportunities to upgrade the tight end position behind Noah Fant in 2022.
My top target at the position, as of right now, would be OJ Howard of the Buccaneers.
However, there are a handful of options that make sense, including adding Tyler Conklin from the Vikings.
If not for the injury to Irv Smith Jr. last year, who knows what kind of free agent market Conklin might have?
He got the chance to be the Vikings’ TE1 last season and capitalized. He finished with 61 receptions for 593 yards and three touchdowns.
Again, there are a couple of connections here between George Paton being in the front office when Conklin was drafted back in 2018 and Klint Kubiak obviously having the opportunity to put him in a major role in the offense last season.
And Conklin took advantage.
Denver Broncos 4 offensive free agents to prioritize in 2022
The Denver Broncos have plenty of cap space to improve the roster in the 2022 free agent signing period. Which players should be targeted on offense?
He’s a pretty well-rounded tight end who can play in line and give you a solid secondary receiving option behind Noah Fant. As far as free agent tight ends go, Conklin could be a nice bargain for a team like the Denver Broncos which will likely use their tight ends a ton in this new offense.