The Vikings should look to get the most value out of these three players on the trade block but there's one player worth keeping around.
The 2023 season is quickly approaching for the Vikings, who get things started on Sept. 10 against the Buccaneers.
Before Week 1, Minnesota is going to have to make tough roster decisions. But before the cuts come, it would be wise for Kevin O'Connell to consider getting something back for this trio of players.
Today, we're looking at players three Vikings should trade, and one that's worth keeping.
NFL Rumors: Vikings should trade Andrew Booth Jr.
Bleacher Report floated Andrew Booth Jr. as the player the Vikings should put on the trade block before the end of the preseason. And they're right.
The Vikings drafted Booth in the second round of last year's NFL Draft out of Clemson. He was supposed to be a bit of a draft steal. He had first-round potential but injuries limited his college career and his showing at the NFL Combine. Then an injury ended his rookie season. Then an injury tripped up the start of training camp for the cornerback.
Injuries remain the story for Booth Jr., but now Minnesota has less incentive to see it through. Third-round draft selection Mekhi Blackmon already looks like a first-teamer. Akayleb Evans, who was a 2022 fourth-rounder, has also commanded first-team reps.
Booth's value is only going to diminish. Right now, he's a potential talent some other team could take a chance on. Maybe he'll get healthy and thrive with them. But if the Vikings wait to do something with him, the injury history and limited playing time will only make that risk look less worth it.
The Vikings have other holes on the roster that need filling, and trading Booth for a draft pick or a player could help them fill it.
NFL Rumors: Vikings should trade Patrick Jones II
The Vikings drafted Patrick Jones II in 2021 with a third-round selection. Since then, fans in Minnesota have been waiting for him to have his breakout season. He showed some signs of that being possible last year with four sacks and eight tackles for loss.
Unfortunately, he hasn't come far enough to take himself out of a trade possibility.
Minnesota wants pass rushers to take the attention off Danielle Hunter. They've got Luiji Vilain as a riser in training camp along with DJ Wonnum and Marcus Davenport providing pressure off the edge. There are also high hopes for UDFA Andre Carter.
Jones has value because there is still a spark of something in his play. A player heading for the cut sheet anyways is hard to trade. Jones isn't at that point, so the Vikings could actually get something back for him. His potential, the one reason for the team to hold off on trading him, is the draw for other teams to take a look.
The calculation Minnesota has to make is whether they could get enough back to take a depth piece out of their lineup, but it's worth exploring.
NFL Rumors: Vikings should trade Jalen Reagor
Despite trading for Reagor last year, he is a prime trade candidate going into this season. His first season in Minnesota was far from encouraging with just eight receptions and an equal number of blunders. This year, training camp felt like a last-chance saloon for the former first-round draft pick.
The Vikings have to be encouraged by what he's shown so far in practice and the preseason. With 2023 first-rounder Jordan Addison sidelined by injury, Reagor moved up the pecking order and flashed. He had four catches for 55 yards in the first preseason game.
That's good for Reagor, but Minnesota still has to feel the temptation to offload him for something. They shipped a 2023 seventh-round pick to get him and are still on the hook for a conditional pick for 2024. That pick is apparently tied to production and the wide receiver certainly hasn't reached the benchmarks that would have been set. So why give him the chance to improve the draft pick heading for the Eagles?
Reagor's training camp performance just makes him a more viable trade candidate. The Vikings have put him in the shop window and now interested teams have had a chance to see that he's not a complete bust. The wide receiver room will be fine without him.
NFL Rumors: Vikings should keep Jordan Hicks
The rise of Ivan Pace Jr. this preseason has given Vikings fans the warm and fuzzies. The undrafted free agent out of Cincinnati looks like an absolute steal with the potential to anchor Minnesota's linebacker corps for years to come.
Yeah, that's potentially hyperbolic praise, but Pace has received rave reviews from all corners throughout camp. The excitement is real. So naturally, a name like Jordan Hicks has come up as someone who could be displaced by the young gun.
Hicks arrived in Minnesota last season on a two-year deal. He started every game and came into this season as a likely starter again. But being an incumbent starter on a defense that gave up the third-most points in the NFL last year doesn't exactly work in his favor. Nor does the fact that he's on the final year of his deal.
So it would make some sense to move Hicks on if the linebacker corps has a bright new star to make up for it. That doesn't mean the Vikings should do it.
Hicks is one of the few veterans on the team and it's especially important at linebacker to have those experience voices helping to bring the young players through. Brian Flores has given Hicks the freedom to call his own plays in the middle of the defense at times. There's clearly a certain amount of trust that's grown between the defensive coordinator and his veteran linebacker.