NFL free agency preview: How the Vikings should fill their biggest needs on defense

The Vikings defense had a memorable 2024 season, from Ivan Pace Jr.‘s fumble recovery touchdown against the Lions, to any one of Jonathan Greenard’s late-game sacks, to all of Camryn Bynum and Josh Metellus' choreographed celebrations.

The group wreaked havoc on quarterbacks with a league-high 24 interceptions, but all of their cornerbacks — and many of their interior defenders — are pending free agents.

The Vikings will work to retain some of those ball hawks during the NFL’s free agency negotiation period, which begins 11 a.m. Central time Monday and through the signing period starting 3 p.m. Wednesday.

Cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. is the most desirable among the Vikings' defensive free agents, and the Vikings are likely to have competition to retain him.

The team also waits to find out whether cornerback Stephon Gilmore and safety Harrison Smith are retiring, potentially amplifying the need to add depth in the secondary even more.

So which defensive players should the Vikings spend on in free agency?

Minnesota Star Tribune reporters who cover the Vikings played GM, and each picked one player the team should sign or re-sign to keep their defense at top-of-the-league level.

Ben Goessling: The Vikings want to re-sign Murphy, but they need additional help at cornerback. Davis, whom the Lions acquired in a trade with the Buccaneers, could be just the kind of physical presence they need at outside corner. The 6-foot-1, 206-pound corner was a fit in Aaron Glenn’s aggressive man coverage schemes until he broke his jaw in December, and he’s been a capable run defender who’s not afraid to involve himself in the play. He’s had a reputation for grabbing receivers (which also made him a good fit with the Lions), but when he’s got a chance to press and make contact at the snap, he’s shown he can be a disruptive corner. His ball skills also could make him a fit in Minnesota; he led the NFL in pass breakups in both 2019 and 2020. If the Vikings could get Davis and re-sign Murphy, they’d have the foundation of a strong secondary with Metellus for the next several years.

Andrew Krammer: I hesitated to list Reed, who is 5-foot-9, for a defense that expects a leap from the 5-foot-11 Mekhi Blackmon and wants to re-sign the 5-foot-11 Murphy. Brian Flores had two 6-foot corners last year in Gilmore and Shaq Griffin, and there are taller free agents available like Davis, Charvarius Ward and Rasul Douglas. But then I stopped overthinking. Reed, 28, has produced just as much as those guys (42 deflections since 2021) and has been one of the best cover corners for one of the NFL’s best defenses in New York. Reed also played very well against the Vikings last year in London, where he allowed just two catches on seven targets for 16 yards, according to Pro Football Focus. He should get more than the $11 million annually he just earned with the Jets, but that’s the cost of adding a set-and-forget corner.

Emily Leiker: Williams is likely to have his price tag raised after the Cowboys signed defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa to a four-year, $80-million deal Tuesday. Williams is one of the best free agents available at his position, coming off a career-best six-sack regular season and having never played more than 50% of defensive snaps through his four seasons in the league. He’s also only 25. The Vikings' two defensive tackles who played the most reps last season, Harrison Phillips and soon-to-be-free-agent Jonathan Bullard, were in their seventh and ninth years in the league, respectively. While the Eagles may very well shell out the cash to keep Williams, he’d make a great acquisition for the Vikings. If they choose to also draft from a talented incoming rookie DT class, Williams and that player would make strong anchors for the defensive front in the coming years.

Mark Craig: He’ll be expensive, but he’d be money well spent on an ascending core defender at a vital position of tremendous need. Murphy can play outside or in the slot. His instincts and ball skills are All-Pro-caliber and getting better, producing a career-high six interceptions and 14 passes defensed last year. A well-rounded player, he also posted career highs in tackles (81) and tackles for loss (6) while playing every game in a Flores defense in which he’s very comfortable. According to Spotrac, Murphy is looking at a $22.1 million average on a four-year, $88.1 million deal. That’s a lot, but doing this deal is not risky. And not doing the deal means the Vikings — dangerously thin at corner — will have to take big gambles on probably two other free agent cornerbacks, neither of whom are likely to be as young or as good as Murphy.

Now it’s your turn to play GM. Who do you want the Vikings to sign in free agency on defense? Share your answers in the comments section below.