MINNEAPOLIS -- At present, the Minnesota Vikings only have three receivers on their roster who caught more than 10 passes last season: Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen and Jarius Wright.
All three are under contract for 2017, and the Vikings will hope to get more of an impact from Laquon Treadwell after the 23rd overall pick in last year's draft caught just one pass in his rookie year. But in an interview Tuesday on KFXN-FM in Minneapolis, the Vikings' radio flagship station, coach Mike Zimmer said the team still needs to add to its roster at the position.
"I do think we need some more receivers, yes," Zimmer said. "I think it would be important for us to get some guys to stretch the field a little bit. That's not saying I don't feel good about the guys we have. But we lost a couple in free agency, and we're going to have to add one or two, maybe."
Thielen, who finalized his three-year, $17 million extension Tuesday, figures to start along with Diggs next season. Wright could return to a bigger role after seeing his playing time dwindle last year, and Treadwell is in what offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur called a "critical offseason" last month. But with Cordarrelle Patterson and Charles Johnson departing in free agency, the Vikings could look to add to their receiver depth.
Isaac Fruechte, whose stock rose after a solid training camp last summer, was promoted to the 53-man roster at the end of the season and could compete for a bigger role this year. If the Vikings address the position in the draft, though, they'll be able to lean on a position coach with an intimate knowledge of the college game. Darrell Hazell, whom the Vikings hired to replace George Stewart last month, had previously coached receivers at Ohio State and was the head coach at Purdue from 2013 to 2016.
Patterson's departure meant the loss of a playmaker on offense, and Johnson's most notable flashes in the Vikings' passing game over the last three years came as a downfield threat. Especially if the Vikings use one of their three picks in the first three rounds on a receiver, it's worth watching the implications for Treadwell after a disappointing rookie season. With Diggs and Thielen at the top of the pecking order, the Vikings seem intent on creating more competition in the group overall.
