Desperate Vikings Add 3 Defensive Free Agents Who Must Step Up In 2023

The Minnesota Vikings were not the most active team in free agency this year, but they made several key moves that addressed their biggest needs.

The Vikings were nearly $20 million over the cap as the 2022 league year came to a close, so it would have been impossible for Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to match wits with Ryan Poles of the Chicago Bears. Chicago had nearly $100 million to spend at the same instant, so the two NFC North rivals were operating from two opposite positions.

But Adofo-Mensah was able to add three free agents who seem likely to take on significant roles with the 2023 Vikings. CB Byron Murphy, DE Marcus Davenport and DL Dean Lowry all have specific skills and talents that should help what was a moribund defense play improved football.

The Vikings will try to upgrade that unit further during the NFL Draft, but they have attempted to upgrade with talented players.

Let’s look at those 3 additions and what they bring to the lineup.

CB Byron Murphy

Murphy comes to the Vikings from the Arizona Cardinals after signing a two-year, $17.5 million deal. Murphy is a solid and confident cover corner who has the drive and ability to shadow the best receivers in 1-on-1 coverage. He appears to be the kind of cornerback that fits new defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ scheme because the Vikings will be attacking with the blitz far more than they did under Ed Donatell’s leadership.

Murphy is one of the two starters at the position, and now that Patrick Peterson will be wearing a Pittsburgh Steelers uniform, the other starting corner could be Andrew Booth or Akayleb Evans. Does that mean the Vikings are now satisfied with the quality at the position, or do they still go for another corner at the top of the draft?

That’s a question that Kevin O’Connell and Adofo-Mensah must answer. Murphy should be approaching the peak of his career after registering 12 passes defensed, 4 interceptions and 64 tackles in the 2021 season. His 2022 season was limited to nine games due to injuries (primarily back) and he had 36 tackles and 4 passes defensed.

He will be healthy when the Vikings report to training camp.

DE Marcus Davenport

The Vikings have to be concerned about which Davenport shows up in 2023. He was at his best in 2021 when he had 9.0 sacks, 39 tackles, 9 tackles for loss and 3 forced fumbles. However, he was not even close to that level of production last season when his report card read 0.5 sacks, 29 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and no forced fumbles.

In addition to coming off a poor season, Davenport has never risen to the level that was expected for him when he was selected in the first round of the 2018 draft by the New Orleans Saints. He has missed at least two games in each of his five NFL seasons.

The Vikings do not have a long-term commitment to Davenport, as they signed him to a one-year, $13 million deal. If he does not perform well, it won’t hurt their long-term salary-cap profile. However, if he doesn’t perform well, it will hurt the 2023 defense quite a bit.

DL Dean Lowry

This is the most underrated of the new additions. This former Packer joins the Vikings after the departure of Dalvin Tomlinson, and Lowry is a player who should be able to stop the run.

Lowry does not appear to be a major threat as a pass rusher, but if he can work himself into a regular position on the defensive line and help the team gain an edge when stopping interior running plays, he will be a good signing.

Tomlinson was a more explosive player in the middle of the defensive line and he did possess pass-rush ability. However, when it came to the overall numbers, Tomlinson did not turn potential into production.

Lowry is coming off a season in which he had 43 tackles, 0.5 sacks and 1 pass defensed, while Tomlinson had 42 tackles and 2.5 sacks in 2022. Lowry signed a two-year, $8.5 million deal with the Vikings, while Tomlinson inked a four-year, $57 million deal with the Browns.

Give the Vikings the win for getting more bang for their buck than the Browns. Whether that helps them win more games in 2023 will be determined.