The Minnesota Vikings spent the first week of free agency improving every unit of need on the roster, but one signing stood out above the rest.
ESPN sports betting analyst Pamela Maldonado on Monday, March 17, dubbed the Vikings’ acquisition of former Washington Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen not only Minnesota’s best move of the offseason, but the best signing in all of free agency one week into the proceedings.
“Minnesota’s defense desperately needed disruption and toughness, especially against the run,” “Landing Allen at three years, $60 million instantly fixes that. He can stop plays cold and send quarterbacks scrambling. It’s a move that reshapes the Vikings’ defensive identity and significantly elevates their competitiveness in the NFC North.”
Allen is a former first-round pick, whom the Commanders selected No. 17 overall out of Alabama in 2017. He is a two-time Pro Bowler (2021, 2022) and has started 108 of the 109 regular-season games he’s played over his eight-year NFL career.
Allen has 60 tackles for loss, 42 sacks, 5 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles and an interception on his resumé to go along with 401 tackles and 118 QB hits, per Pro Football Reference.
“The Vikings have the interior disruptor they have been seeking since allowing Dalvin Tomlinson to depart via free agency after the 2022 season,”
. “Since the start of the 2023 season, the Vikings haven’t had an interior defender who ranks among the NFL’s top 40 in pass rush win rate. If nothing else, Allen will draw more attention from opposing offenses and away from edge rushers Jonathan Greenard, and Dallas Turner.
