The Vikings Might Have A Smarter Option Than Trey Smith
Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
We are two weeks from the start of free agency, and one of the best players set to hit the market on March 12th is Kansas City Chiefs right guard Trey Smith. There’s been a lot of excitement about the mere possibility of the Minnesota Vikings potentially making a big splash by signing Smith. A sizable portion of Skol Nation wants Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to do whatever it takes to get him in Purple and Gold next season.
In order for that dream to become a reality, Minnesota will need to pay top dollar. Smith’s current market value, according to Spotrac and Pro Football Focus, ranges from an average annual salary of $19.7 million to $21.5 million. It’s likely that several teams enter a bidding war for the 25-year-old Pro Bowl guard, including the Arizona Cardinals, New England Patriots, and NFC North rival Chicago Bears. When it’s all said and done, Smith might fetch a contract worth up to $25 million per year.
Last offseason proved that Kwesi isn’t the type of general manager who’ll go out of his way to sign the most expensive free agent available. Minnesota had interest in signing Christian Wilkins, but the Vikings were outbid by the Las Vegas Raiders, who overpaid Wilkins with a four year, $110 million deal. If Kwesi wants to address other needs in free agency, then he should consider pursuing Philadelphia Eagles right guard Mekhi Becton rather than signing Smith to a monster contract. Becton isn’t just a cheaper alternative to Smith, he’s arguably an even better fit for Minnesota’s offense under Kevin O’Connell.
Mekhi Becton, you are (soon to be) a Minnesota Viking. https://t.co/6u8DlwTqWv
— The Daily Norseman (@DailyNorseman) January 19, 2025
The Vikings entire offensive identity shifted when the team fired Mike Zimmer and replaced him with KOC. Minnesota went from a run-heavy, Gary Kubiak-inspired offense, to a Sean McVay-esque system that is pass-first in nature. But one thing that hasn’t changed is the use of a zone blocking run scheme that people generally associate with Kubiak. Vikings offensive line coach Chris Kuper was a right guard for the Denver Broncos from 2006 to 2013. Kuper spent his first three seasons of his career playing for head coach Mike Shanahan, whose offensive coordinator from 1995-2005 was none other than Gary Kubiak himself.
Under Kuper, Minnesota has operated three main rushing concepts: Duo (a gap blocking concept), inside zone, and outside zone. Lots of it. In 2022, his first season with the Vikings, Minnesota ran outside zone on 41% of run plays. That was the second-highest rate of any NFL team that year. I don’t have the exact numbers for last season, but the Vikings were still very much reliant on their outside zone rushing attack with Aaron Jones at running back.
Why do I bring all of this up? Zone blocking schemes require guards to be able to quickly move out in space. It’s why the Vikings keep bringing in smaller and more agile interior offensive linemen, much to the chagrin of many. Also, it’s incredibly difficult to find a 350-plus-pound guard who can pass protect, let alone one who also has the agility to quickly get out in open space and into the second level on slip screen passes and zone runs.
6'7" and 364 lbs… OL Mekhi Becton just ran a 5.11u 40-yard dash! 👀
Becton is the No. 5 overall prospect. (via @MoveTheSticks) @UofLFootball
📺: #NFLCombine on @NFLNetwork
📱: https://t.co/vDFxxNddNZ pic.twitter.com/5OOdrZAncl— NFL (@NFL) February 28, 2020
Becton can do all of those things at a high level. Becton’s measurables are absolutely insane at 6-foot-7, 363 pounds, and he ran a 5.11 40-yard dash at the 2020 NFL Combine, which was the third-fastest 40-time recorded by a player weighing at least 340 pounds since 2006. He was considered a high-level athlete coming out of the draft as a tackle, and tackles are generally more athletic than guards. Now that he’s made the switch to guard, you could argue that he’s perhaps the most athletic guard in the NFL.
The risk in signing Becton is that he needs some decent players and coaching around him to maximize his talent. Becton failed with the New York Jets because he couldn’t stay healthy and there wasn’t much talent around him, but in Philadelphia, he showed that he can be elite in the right environment. Minnesota may not have an elite offensive line like the Eagles do, but they still have a stable enough infrastructure in place for Becton to replicate his success.
There's defintely risk in signing Mekhi Becton with his knee injury, but Will Fries is also coming off a broken tibia.
So unless the Vikings pay $20M-$25M AAV for Trey Smith, they're gonna have to take their chances on one of those guards coming off an injury.
— 𝙩𝙮𝙡𝙚𝙧 (@TylerTalksBall) February 23, 2025
Brian O’Neill is a top-10 right tackle in the league and is as reliable as they come. While I can’t say the same for Garrett Bradbury, he does get a lot of praise in Eagan for being a great communicator at center. This is especially important for Becton, who is still relatively new to playing on the interior offensive line. And lastly, the Vikings have the reigning Coach of the Year in O’Connell, so Becton won’t have to deal with the kind of coaching ineptitude he did with Adam Gase in New York.
Minnesota needs a physically imposing mauler at right guard who can hold up in pass protection and the run game. Both Smith and Becton are more than capable of doing so. However, the Vikings also need their guards to be able to move out in open space at a high level. Smith doesn’t have many flaws in his game, but the one thing going against him is that he lumbers in the open field on outside zone runs.
On the other hand, Becton has the necessary agility to operate at a high level in Kuper’s zone-blocking scheme. He’s also more than big enough to handle bull rushes in pass protection and has the tenacity to be a difference-maker in the run game. The bottom line is, Smith may be the best free-agent guard, but Becton is a perfect fit for the Vikings, and the (soon-to-be-former?) Eagle checks all the boxes for this offense.
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