Vikings GM takes gold with this year’s FA signings

Blake Cashman: 3-year, $22.5 million contract.

The Minnesota native, who played college football in his home state, finally found his way back home in the sixth year of his NFL career. Blake Cashman replaced Jordan Hicks as the Vikings’ linebacker, who had played solidly over the past two seasons. Cashman is four years younger, has more tread on his tires and is off to a solid start to the season – particularly impressive in the game against San Francisco. Twelve tackles, including one tackle for loss, three pass deflections and one sack, have helped him earn a PFF grade of 78.2 – sixth among linebackers in the entire league.

Sam Darnold: 1-year, $10 million contract.

Sam Darnold was supposed to be the bridge quarterback for first-round rookie JJ McCarthy. Vikings fans just wanted to know when he would step down for the rookie. In the third game of the season, the entire Vikings fan base held its breath when Darnold was sidelined with a knee injury against the Texans. With McCarthy already losing this season, Darnold and his teammates are off to a start to the season that has Vikings fans believing something special could be happening.

Luckily, the knee injury is just a bruise, and Darnold can continue his wonderful start in Minnesota to make it even more substantial. Through three games, Darnold leads the league with 8 touchdowns, just 2 interceptions and a consistent 657 passing yards. His QB rating of 73.5 is fifth-best in the league and his passer rating of 117.3 is third-best. His PFF grade of 82.3 ranks seventh. In short, Darnold was one of the best quarterbacks in the league this season.

Aaron Jones: 1-year, $7 million contract.

The Vikings desperately needed an improvement in their rushing attack this season. They turned to veteran Jones after division rival Green Bay released him. Jones turns 30 in December, and some think that’s too old. Running back has evolved from a premium position to a cheap and young position. Part of the reason for this is injuries, which have certainly been an issue for Jones, but when healthy, Jones is still a top RB both on the ground and through the air.

He’s proven that with his early stats of 42 rushing attempts for 228 yards and a touchdown and 12 catches for 97 yards and a touchdown – with a PFF grade of 81.4, which is fourth-best in the league. So far, Jones has provided the spark the Vikings have been looking for.

Stephon Gilmore: 1-year, $7 million contract.

Minnesota has always looked short at CB, even before tragedy struck Khyree Jackson and Mekhi Blackmon, who were sidelined for the season with knee injuries. On the eve of the season, the Vikings signed Stephon Gillmore, adding a much-needed high-profile veteran presence. Outsiders who believed the Vikings had no chance of making the playoffs considered this signing pointless.

Initial results suggest otherwise. The two-time first-team All-Pro CB may be 34 years old now, but he still has a lot to offer. Gilmore has 14 tackles, including a tackle for loss and a forced fumble on the stat sheet, and not much else because teams rarely threw the ball his way in the first three games. Not only is Gillmore still good in coverage, but he is also still an excellent tackler with a 91.3 run defense grade from PFF.

The depth signatures

One thing that stood out about the Vikings’ strong start to the season is that the Vikings didn’t miss a beat when it came to relying on depth players. Many of these are signings that wouldn’t have attracted much attention had they signed on the dotted line, but prove to be smarter business on Adofo-Mensah’s part.

Shaquill Griffin was solid at CB, playing in over 50% of the defensive snaps. Kami Grugier-Hill filled in for the injured Ivan Pace last Sunday and made a big impact with an early interception and later taking the ball out of a receiver’s hands. It was originally called a forced fumble that Gilmore recovered, but it was changed to an incompletion. Jerry Tillery has done well as a situational pass rusher, with some pass deflections and QB hits.

Jalen Redmond was another player who stepped up Sunday when injuries presented an opportunity. He got a chance to play for the first time in his NFL career and had a sack and a tackle for loss. Jihad Ward impressed as a DL center back in the first two games.

Dallas Turner’s injury caused him to return to the sidelines in Week 3 with less success. Turner’s return means he can return to the role he envisioned for himself. Trent Sherfield’s role is to be WR5/6, help block, and make occasional plays. He does just that with two catches from three targets for 25 yards. Brett Rypien, Dan Feeney and Fabian Moreau were also signed and remain in the squad but have not yet been called into action.