FanPost

Potential Roster Moves

As MarkSP18 has pointed out several times, GM Rick Spielman has shown a willingness to begin making roster moves for an upcoming season by signing players off of other team's practice squads prior to the end of the current season. I tried to respond to Mark in the comments section of those posts but I cannot reply to a comment directly from work under the DN's new format so I decided to create a fanpost to discuss it. This is also my first fanpost since SB Nation united was released.

Mark has suggested that Spielman should take a look at WR Jeff Fuller on a few different occasions. I was interested in Fuller last year about this time. Fuller had a great junior season, but was slowed by multiple leg injuries his senior year at Texas A&M and his numbers suffered because of it. Then Fuller went on to have a poor showing at the Senior Bowl. At that point, I pretty much graded Fuller as undraftable. I would not go near Fuller then, and I stand by that now. But I do like that Mark's forward thinking and I also took a look at current practice squad rosters. There are some players available that I did assign a draftable grade on last April. Here is my list of potential roster moves that GM Rick Spielman could make before the end of the 2012 season:

Arizona Cardinals WR Gerrell Robinson. I actually anticipated that Robinson would garner some interest from the Vikings as he was a Senior Bowl participant. Robinson has good size and good hands. He could be a younger version of Michael Jenkins, who I don't expect to be back in Minnesota next year anyway. Why not take a flier on Robinson now, by cutting Jenkins, and find out if there is any potential there?

Atlanta Falcons TE Chase Coffman. The John Carlson experiment has failed. He has been injured and ineffective in the passing game. He has a big contract number in the next few seasons, so why not cut him lose now before those dollars become guaranteed? Coffman was a very big part of Missouri's passing offense in college, the only knock on him was his blocking ability. Carlson can't block either, but at least Coffman is an established pass catcher. I say we save money and make this move.

Detroit Lions WR Patrick Edwards. I was a big fan of Edwards when he was at the University of Houston. He suffered an injury late last season which was one of the reasons that he didn't get drafted. The lions actually took two gambles by drafting Oklahoma wide out Ryan Broyles and then later adding Edwards. If Edwards is fully healthy now, he could provide a spark in the return game as well as the passing game. He's a diminutive player, about the same size as Wright, so you might be skeptical. But our WR's are pretty bad, I say make the move.

Miami Dolphins LB Josh Kaddu. I was really high on Kaddu last year. I had a 4th round grade on him. The Vikings, with three 4th round picks, chose to avoid a position that was in need of an upgrade. Kaddu has good size and would be an asset as a pass rusher. We have several LB's currently on the roster just for their special teams play, namely McKenzie, Dean and Cole. I say we shake this unit up and find our if Kaddu can play. Erin Henderson hasn't shown that he deserves a new contract. Brinkly is slightly above average. With so many holes, let try to address one of them now by signing Kaddu.

San Francisco 49ers DE/LB Cam Johnson. Johnson was another player who I thought might get drafted by the Vikings. First year DC Alan Williams was very high on Johnson at the Senior Bowl last year. He showed a good burst in one on ones during the practices in Mobile. With half of our defensive line aging and expiring contracts approaching, why not see if a player like Johnson can come in and provide a situational pass rush while he develops? Developmental player D'Aundre Reed hasn't seen the field, time to get someone in here who can contribute.

And finally, there are is no doubt in my mind that the only viable QB that we have on our roster is Christian Ponder. Sure Webb can come in and provide some spark for a drive or two, but in all seriousness, he is not a legitimate NFL QB. I would keep Webb as a true "wildcat" type player. His atleticism is being wasted as the back up QB. Put him at #3 and use him on special teams and gimmick packages. Bring in a true QB to develop. There are 2 such QB's on practice squads today:

Green Bay Packers B.J. Coleman. Mark my words, if he is allowed to remain on the packers practice squad for another 2 years, he will turn into a solid NFL QB that teams will pay money for (see Matt Flynn). I say the Vikings cut ties with MBT and bring in a kid who has a chance to be a viable option.

Tampa Bay Bucs Adam Weber. Weber is a known name in Minnesota because he played his college ball there. Rumor was that Weber had outplayed Tebow last year while both were on Denver's roster, which may not be saying much. But I like Weber as a developmental prospect way more than I like MBT.

Another player that I would consider is Philly's Marvin McNutt. Who do you guys like?

This FanPost was created by a registered user of The Daily Norseman, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the staff of the site. However, since this is a community, that view is no less important.