While there's plenty of buzz surrounding the approaching free agency period and which teams will make what moves, more than two weeks remain before any of those questions are answered.
According to NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal, that means "there's still space to **dream up team-player pairings**" that he feels would be good fits.
Rosenthal delved into the NFC, "put the realities of spending limits and negotiating tactics aside" and assembled a list of "fun, potential free-agent additions."
For the Vikings, Rosenthal said that current Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins would be a good addition to an existing talented roster in Minnesota. He wrote:
*The Vikings will bring back one of the most cohesive, talented defenses in football. They have perhaps the NFL's best starting receiver tandem and a running back (Dalvin Cook) who was leading the league in yards from scrimmage as a rookie (before injury, of course). *
With three of Minnesota's quarterbacks – Sam Bradford, Teddy Bridgewater and Case Keenum – under contracts set to expire, Rosenthal said he would like to see Bridgewater play for the Cardinals.
*New [Cardinals Head Coach] Steve Wilks insisted the team would be "active and aggressive" pursuing a new quarterback after Carson Palmer's retirement. Bridgewater has the highest ceiling of any free-agent QB available, despite essentially missing the last two seasons with a devastating knee injury. *
Other NFC North free agency signings Rosenthal imagined were tight end Jimmy Graham to the Bears, safety Eric Reid to the Packers and cornerback Malcolm Butler to the Lions.
Pat Elflein featured in Ohio State video profile
Rookie center Pat Elflein had quite the NFL debut.
The Ohio State alum started all 14 games he played and helped anchor an improved Vikings offensive line throughout the 2017 season. In recognition of his performance, Elflein was **named to the PFWA All-Rookie team**.
Elflein was well-prepared for the NFL as a lineman at Ohio State, where he earned the first of his three First-Team All-Big Ten seasons as a sophomore. After playing two seasons at the guard position, Elflein moved to center his senior year and earned First-Team All-American recognition from various media outlets.
Recently, Buckeyes Head Coach Urban Meyer tweeted a video featuring Elflein, who discussed his time at Ohio State and his experience as an NFL rookie in Vikings Purple.
