The Minnesota Vikings have two great wide receivers on the roster, but depth at the position gets sketchy after that.
Minnesota lists Jalen Nailor and Brandon Powell as the second-string options on the team’s most recent unofficial depth chart behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. However, Nailor and Powell have produced just one season of more than 156 receiving yards between them (Powell had 324 yards with the Vikings last year) in seven combined tries.
As such, Bleacher Report’s NFL Scouting Department suggested on Monday, August 26, that Minnesota should take a flier on wideout Michael Thomas, formerly of the New Orleans Saints and one of the top playmakers at the position league-wide in the late 2010s.
“While the Vikings are hoping Jalen Nailor can take over the third wide receiver role, it couldn’t hurt to at least bring in Thomas for a workout to see what he has left in the tank,” B/R wrote. “The three-time Pro Bowler is past his prime, but he was averaging just under 45 yards per game last season before going down with an injury.”
Michael Thomas Has Battled Multiple Injuries Over Past Several Seasons
GettyWide receiver Michael Thomas, formerly of the New Orleans Saints.
Injury and surrounding issues with the Saints began derailing Thomas’s career in 2020.
He dealt with a hamstring issue that year, though it was a severe ankle injury and a dispute with New Orleans on how to handle/rehabilitate it that ended up costing the wideout most of the nine games he missed during the 2020 campaign and led to his sidelining for the entirety of the following season.
A toe injury then cost him all but three games in 2022. Thomas finally regained reasonable health last year, appearing in 10 games before suffering an MCL sprain against the Vikings in Week 10 that robbed him of the rest of the campaign.
Thomas’s injury history is a major concern and a primary factor in his continued free agency late into August. However, the Vikings should be able to take a low-cost flier on Thomas given his health issues over the past four years.
The Saints inked Thomas to a one-year deal worth $10 million last season, and he is unlikely to command anywhere close to that amount in 2024 playing at the age of 31. Meanwhile, the Vikings have nearly $16 million in available salary cap space as of Monday and what looks to be an injury-depleted corps of pass-catchers to begin the season.
Vikings May Need More Firepower with Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson Currently Out
GettyMinnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison.
Banking on any kind of resurgence from Thomas to his Pro Bowl form in 2019 would be tantamount to an investment in fool’s gold on the part of the Vikings. However, betting on him to be able to play like a WR2 and/or WR3 for one season is a reasonable risk if it can be assumed at a low amount of guaranteed dollars.
Addison is currently battling an ankle injury of his own, and it is unclear if he will be ready to play Week 1 against the New York Giants. Minnesota’s top tight end T.J. Hockenson is continuing to rehab a knee injury he suffered late last year and won’t likely be back to regular game action until after the team’s Week 6 bye.
Beyond the injuries, quarterback Sam Darnold will run the Vikings offense in his first season with the team. He could be without his No. 2 and 3 options in the passing game behind Jefferson for several weeks, and Minnesota opens with a brutal schedule that includes games against three playoff teams from last season in the first month.
More firepower on offense in the form of Thomas, or some similar addition, may not be just a luxury for Minnesota if they can find it — it may be a necessity. And while Thomas is several years removed from his prime, he does have 565 receptions, 6,569 receiving yards and 36 TDs on his NFL resumé.
