Thielen reunion dead, last-minute blockbuster, Vikes loses O-lineman

With a 21-13 victory over the Indianapolis Colts last Sunday night, the Minnesota Vikings are in a good spot at the halfway point of this 2024 NFL season.

At 6-2, they remain just one game behind the Detroit Lions in the NFC North. Their loss to Dan Campbell & Co. in Week 7 didn’t help in terms of a potential tiebreaker, but they’ll get another chance in Week 18.

They did indeed get some help from the Lions this past week as Detroit defeated the Green Bay Packers, moving Minnesota back into second place in the division. From an overall standpoint, the Vikings would be the No. 5 seed in the NFC if the playoffs started tomorrow.

So Kevin O’Connell’s squad is once again in a good spot heading into the second half of the season, which begins with a Week 10 matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars. But let’s not jump too far ahead yet.

The biggest topic of discussion in the aftermath of Week 9 is obviously the NFL trade deadline, which is set for Tuesday at 4:00 PM Eastern.

Right now, it’s not like the Vikings are absolutely need to make even more moves after acquiring running back Cam Akers and offensive tackle Cam Robinson. However, a little extra help on defense certainly wouldn’t hurt, even if Brian Flores’ unit just turned in its best collective performance of the season against Indy.

And it would be fun for Minnesota fans to see their team try to keep up with the Lions, who acquired former Viking Za’Darius Smith from the Cleveland Browns on Tuesday morning. There’s a big name thrown around in that regard, and that’s where we’ll kick things off.

The Vikings have been linked to Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons for several weeks, and that remains the case with just hours to go before the deadline.

Again, it’s not like Minnesota should let this happen as the defensive line has been solid, especially against the run. But this acquisition would still improve an already plucky unit and could serve both the short and long term.

Some teams may be wary of Simmons’ big contract, which has a cap hit of $21.65 million this season (the Vikings shouldn’t be on the hook for any of that), $22.8 million next year, $25.473 million in 2026, and $28.3 million in 2027. But the point is: Minnesota can afford it.

It could take a lot for the Vikings to acquire the two-time Pro Bowler as the Titans may not be willing to part with their defensive franchise cornerstone. But Kwesi Adofo-Mensah might be able to work some magic. Stay informed.

Another name that has been floating around in recent weeks is Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen, who of course spent the first nine years of his career with the Vikings and made two Pro Bowls.

We recently explored this possibility and at the time it seemed to make a lot of sense for both parties. But that was on the condition that the hamstring injury that put him on injured reserve after Week 3 wouldn’t be an issue.

But according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, that appears to have killed any chance of a Vikings-Thielen reunion. The failure to get healthy before the deadline could make it difficult for the Panthers to take him anywhere, even though Breer notes they appear willing to part with some veterans.

Minnesota could still make this move, but with Thielen’s hamstring combined with Jordan Addison waking up this past week against the Colts, that doesn’t seem likely.

While this trade does not impact the Vikings’ 2024 campaign as it pertains to the 53-man roster, it was reported early Tuesday that they did lose an offensive lineman to the New England Patriots, albeit one who has never has appeared in a regular season NFL game. season game.

According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, the Pats have signed guard Tyrese Robinson from the Vikings’ practice squad and plan to add him to the active roster.

A 2021 Second-Team All-Big 12 selection, Robinson entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Washington Commanders and has also spent time on the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice squad.

The Vikings initially added him to their practice squad on August 31, 2023, and signed him to a reserve/future contract last January. Robinson was waived last August 27, but was re-signed to the practice squad a day later. As mentioned, he has not played in a regular season game for any team.