2 best trades the Vikings must make before the 2024 NFL Trade Deadline

Yesterday at 12:27 PM

It’s time for the Minnesota Vikings to make a move. Not that long ago, just weeks ago, in fact, they were cruising and looking like a legitimate Super Bowl contender at 5-0. The wheels have come off a bit since then, though. That’s not to say the Vikings still can’t be a contender, but tough losses to the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams, back to back, have certainly raised some questions.

The Vikings could use an infusion of talent, which makes the upcoming 2024 NFL Trade Deadline incredibly important for them.

They don’t have to give away the farm, but general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah needs to make a few moves in order to shore this roster up and the Vikings to compete in a stacked NFC North. Yes, the Lions are currently on top at 5-1 and Minnesota still holds on to second place at 4-2, but the 5-2 Green Bay Packers would jump over the Vikings with a win in Week 8 and the Chicago Bears are no slouch at 4-2. It’s a tough, tough conference, so the Vikings need all the help they can get in order to make a playoff run.

First and foremost, offensive line has become a massive priory with left tackle Christian Darrisaw suffering a season-ending injury on Thursday Night Football against the Los Angeles Rams.

The Vikings must trade for Jaguars left tackle Cam Robinson 

The most important thing for Adofo-Mensah to do before the trade deadline is make sure that quarterback Sam Darnold is protected. Darnold has been great this season — a revelation, in fact — and has thrown for 1,610 yards and 14 touchdowns with five interceptions. The issue as of late has been pass protection, though. He was sacked four times in the loss to Detroit and threw an interception, and he was sacked three times by the Rams.

Darnold has been a quality starter for the Vikings, but he’s no Patrick Mahomes. They’ll need to continue protecting him in order to give him time to process and make good throws, but that’s now so much harder with Darrisaw undergoing season ending surgery.

Here’s where Cam Robinson of the Jacksonville Jaguars comes in.

Darrisaw had allowed just two sacks and 10 pressures so far this season, so he’s going to be hard to replace. Robinson checks in at 6-foot-6, 335 pounds and he’s a former Alabama star. He’s been in the league since 2017 and he’d provide Minnesota with exactly the big, experienced tackle they’d need to replace Darrisaw.

He’s working back from a concussion, but outside of any new injuries suffered in Week 8 or Week 9, the expectation is that he could be available for trade. Why?  Jacksonville just doesn’t seem to have it together right now. Yes, the Jags are coming off a win against the New England Patriots, but they face the Green Bay Packers in Week 8 with a real chance to fall to 2-6 on the season.

The Jaguars just traded defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris for draft capital and another loss could put them in full fire-sale mode.

Robinson could even act as just a rental player for the Vikings since he’s on the last year of his contract, and that may drive the price down in the trade as well.

It just makes too much sense for the Vikings.

Broncos DT D.J. Jones would be a nice addition for Vikings’ defensive line 

Defense is going to be at a premium the rest of the way out in the NFC North. The Lions and Packers both have high-flying offenses and don’t discount what rookie quarterback Caleb Williams has been able to do for the Bears so far. The issue for the Vikings is their defense has been in the bottom half of the league in 2024, giving up 346.9 yards per game.

The Vikings are stout against the run, giving up just 83.9 rush yards per game, but more big bodies up front never hurts. As such, ESPN’s Ben Solak believes the Vikings should try to trade for Denver Broncos defensive tackle D.J. Jones, who checks in at 305 pounds. The issue, the 4-3 Broncos may not want to part way with Jones. Still, he’s on the final year of his deal, so they may offload him just to try to get something back in return.

"Jones has been a handy player for a quality Broncos defense, so I'm not sure how gettable he is right now — but he is a veteran in the last year of his deal, so it's worth making the call," Solak wrote (h/t heavy.com). "Vikings fans are hoping for Jeffery Simmons or Dexter Lawrence II, but Jones would give them the stout and reliable nose tackle play they need at a fraction of the cost."

Sometimes a “smaller” “cheaper” deal can make all the difference in a playoff run. Bringing in Jones is one of those deals the Vikings should consider.

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