Tag: Matt Holder

NFL analyst suggest Minnesota Vikings sign free agent OT

What will the Minnesota Vikings do in the wake of the Christian Darrisaw injury? One NFL analyst suggests looking to a former division rival

The Minnesota Vikings are reeling after losing two games in five days. The defense—the Vikings’ strong suit during the first five games of the season—has faltered in a big way the last two weeks. Quarterback Sam Darnold has started to show cracks in his armor, and perhaps worst of all, the Vikings lost Christian Darrisaw for the season.

Late in the first half of the Vikings’ loss to the Rams, Darrisaw was injured when the Vikings handed the ball off to running back Aaron Jones to get out of their own endzone and Rams’ safety Jaylen McCollough fell into Darrisaw’s knee. That collision resulted in Darrisaw tearing his ACL and MCL, and leaves the Vikings with a huge hole to fill along the offensive line.

Just how they go about filling that hole remains to be seen, but one NFL analyst is suggesting the Vikings look to a former division rival as the answer. In their weekly column at Bleacher Report, NFL analyst Matt Holder suggests the Vikings sign former Chicago Bears left tackle Charles Leno.

The Vikings should be plenty familiar with Leno and his game, as the left tackle spent seven seasons with the Bears before being released in 2021 and spending three seasons with the Washington Commanders.

Leno has yet to sign with a team and play in the 2024 season, but last season with the Commanders, Leno gave up just 34 pressures in more than 600 snaps of pass protection at left tackle, and allowed just three sacks on the season. Those numbers led Leno to a PFF grade of 72.5 that season, making Leno a strong option for a team suddenly looking at a major hole in their offensive line.

NFL analysts suggests the Vikings replace starting cornerback

Should the Minnesota Vikings be looking towards the NFL’s trade market to find an improvement over starting cornerback Byron Murphy?

The Minnesota Vikings’ defense has once again been one of the big storylines in the NFL. Last season, the defense was the only thing keeping the Vikings afloat at times. This season, they’re getting much more help from their offense but have still put together a scheme that has given opposing quarterbacks fits.

The defense has been a driving force in the Vikings’ undefeated start, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t areas that can be improved. Bleacher Report NFL analyst Matt Holder suggests one of those improvements could be at the cornerback position.

Byron Murphy has been one of the Vikings’ starting cornerbacks all season, but he’s also been a weak spot in the Vikings’ defense. Murphy has given up completions on more than 70% of the passes he’s been targeted and has allowed the opposing quarterback to achieve a passer rating over 117 when targeting him, according to the charting from PFF. Murphy has also missed several tackles this season, putting the defense in tough spots.

Those numbers have Holder suggesting the Vikings reach out to the Buffalo Bills and work out a trade for their former first-round cornerback, Kaiir Elam. Elam hasn’t been a factor during his three seasons with the Bills, but Holder argues that’s because he’s been overtaken on the depth chart by a good corner in his own right, Christian Benford.

Given the lack of playing time Elam has seen in Buffalo, it may not take much to pry him away from the Bills. That would be necessary for the Vikings, as they don’t have much draft capital to offer up in any potential trade. Still, it may be worth reaching out and getting a price check on the former first-rounder to see if he could be had and at least compete with Murphy for a starting spot.