The Player The Vikings Should Actually Target in a Trade
Leave aside some of the more common theories circulating online for a lesser-considered name.
In Week 7, Amon-Ra St. Brown was unstoppable. Or, at least, he appeared so against Minnesota’s leaky coverage.
Detroit’s WR1 is, in fairness, a tremendous player. He runs ferocious routes and is a fantastic competitor who works very hard at his craft. Giving up plays to St. Brown isn’t far off from giving up plays to Justin Jefferson; to a certain extent, it’s a mere inevitability.
Seeing St. Brown turn 8 targets into 8 catches for 112 yards and a score, though, is no one’s idea of good defense.
Yes, some of the completions that Brian Flores’ defense allows are by design (see last week’s article). Nevertheless, the point remains that the coverage hasn’t been sticky enough in the defensive backfield. Is there a potential solution out there?
Give the New York Jets a Call
Selling would seem counterintuitive given that they just onboarded Davante Adams. However, the basic reality is that New York isn’t going anywhere fast. They’re a 2-5 football team and share a division with the Buffalo Bills (5-2). At best, Aaron Rodgers is chasing down a Wild Card spot and (likely) an early exit in the playoffs.
One wonders, then, if New York would be willing to move out a player or two. If so, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah should at least be having a conversation with the Week 5 foe. More specifically, the GM should be inquiring about D.J. Reed, someone who has proven to be an excellent corner.
Since entering the NFL as the No. 142 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Reed has bounced around a bit. He spent some time with San Francisco and Seattle before becoming a Jet, somewhere where has has thrived opposite Sauce Gardner.
At 27, Reed still has a decent bit of youth, fitting perfectly within the timeline for the competitively rebuilding Vikings (he’ll turn 28 on November 11th). Whether he makes sense to keep around as a Jet is a different story.
Only 5’9” and weighing just 188 pounds, Reed looks like a slot corner but he has been thriving along the outside. He has picked up 282 boundary snaps and only 4 in the slot so far this season. More importantly, he has been doing marvellous work within that role.
Per PFF, Reed has been targeted 24 times while allowing just 11 completions (45.8%). The receptions have gone for just 112 yards, meaning the average catch goes for 10.2 yards. Even better, he hasn’t allowed a touchdown. Quarterbacks have a horrendous 59.7 passer rating when going after him.
Pretty impressive, eh?
The Domino Effect
Playing defense often comes down to matching up well and taking care of the small details. Could Reed help on both fronts?
Starting D.J. Reed opposite Stephon Gilmore would be a nice spot to be. All of the sudden, Brian Flores would find himself in an advantageous position when it comes to going toe-to-toe with the opposition’s best weapons along the outside.
Again, though, everything we’re talking about is mere speculation. Call it purple dot connecting. The Vikings are likely going to be buyers and they have a GM who loves to trade. The secondary has been allowing way too many completions and the New York Jets (likely) aren’t going anywhere. Could there plausibly be a deal that makes sense?
Don’t forget: the Minnesota Vikings and New York Jets recently did business in a trade. During the 2024 NFL Draft, the Vikings hopped into the Jets’ No. 10 spot, so there’s a bit of history of the two front offices doing business.
A critical factor: the outcome of the Week 8 game. The Jets, a team that has already fired its head coach and demoted its original OC, are taking on the Patriots. Jerod Mayo’s team is starting rookie Drake Maye and find themselves at 1-6. Losing to New England would likely be the final nail in the coffin.
After all, it would be the fifth-straight loss and a Thursday Night Football date with the Houston Texans awaits in Week 9.
D.J. Reed is going to be a free agent in 2025; New York could lose him for nothing (or a compensatory selection). Does it make sense for them to get ahead of the issue by shopping him at the deadline? Would the player himself welcome the chance to play for a brilliant defensive coordinator and for a team that actually has a chance?
Right now, the Vikings have just a 1st and a pair of 5ths in 2025. The 1st is too much and the 5ths are too little, so Minnesota would need to dip into 2026 for their Goldilocks solution. As with (nearly) all things, if there’s a will, there’s a way. Adofo-Mensah could scrounge up the right draft capital to meet New York’s demands should Reed become available.
Whether any of the speculation gets anywhere close to reality is part of what makes the NFL trade deadline a fun time of the year. Keep an eye on things as we march toward November 5th.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
Odds & Ends
Vikings at Rams Prediction
Last week, the guess was a Lions victory by 3 points (34-31). The end result was a Lions victory by 2 points (31-29). Not a bad call, all things considered.
Moving into Week 8, I’m rolling with the Vikings. Yes, Sean McVay is a wonderful coach and there’s legit talent on the Rams’ roster, but Minnesota is a superior football team. Look for Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores to get back on track as they climb to 6-1.
Final Score: Vikings 31 — Rams 17
Season Prediction Record: 5-1
Dad Joke of the Week
As we sometimes say here at TVG headquarters: come for the Vikings content, stay for the dad jokes. Consider the contenders for Week 8.
Why did the football coach go to the bank? To get his quarterback. — TommyBens21
What did the drummer name his twin daughters? Anna 1 Anna 2 — thejoudry
I recently told a girl that she's just average. She said "that's mean." — JonMaack1
Vikings Tidbits and Thoughts
Is there any sense that the Vikings need more out of Jordan Addison? Yes, there was the long bomb from Sam Darnold, but those plays have been quite rare across the opening six games of the season (in fairness, Addison has missed time due to injury). If I’m Kevin O’Connell, I dial up a long pass to the WR2 early on Thursday Night Football.
Imagine if the Vikings actually drafted well. Right now, Will Reichard is showing us the kind of difference a great draft pick can make. The issue is simply that Reichard stands out as being unique insofar as he’s perhaps the only Kwesi Adofo-Mensah draft pick playing at an elite level.
The Rams barely overcame the hapless Raiders last week, winning by a score of 20-15. Picking up the victory means sitting at a modest 2-4 record. Minnesota has no business losing to Los Angeles.
T.J. Hockenson’s return?
Andrew Van Ginkel is an absolute stud. High level brains, effort, and athleticism. He’s the perfect outside linebacker for Flores. There’s some chatter about being in the running for Defensive Player of the Year (if memory serves, it got mentioned on the game broadcast). Can the EDGE2 keep up his outstanding work? Across six games, Van Ginkel has 26 tackles, 5 sacks, 6 tackles for loss, 3 passes defended, 1 forced fumble, 2 interceptions, and 2 touchdowns. Stud.
Links for the Dinks:
Vikings Quietly Say Goodbye to a Young Playmaker: Working with a 53-man roster is a zero-sum game. Every addition necessitates a subtraction. Re-welcoming players like T.J. Hockenson and/or Dalton Risner means letting go of other players.
Vikings Offer a Sneaky Update About an O-Line Boost: Things are looking good for Mr. Risner. The only question at this stage is what kind of role he’ll have as the season continues to unfold.
The Vikings’ RB1 and The Good News Following the Lions Loss: Justin Jefferson is the Vikings’ most dangerous weapon on offense. Next up would be Aaron Jones, the 29-year-old runner who is showing that he still has a lot of game left. He made it through the game and is likely going to get a hearty workload on TNF.
Thanks for reading and take care of yourself.