The Vikings announced two roster moves today, increasing their cap while leaving more questions about their defensive line position.
Letroy Guion, DT, and Greg Childs, WR, will both be searching for new homes in the NFL last season, as the team opted to let both go to save over $4 million in cap space.
Guion, the Vikings starter at nose tackle the past few seasons, underperformed as a starter and his production did not match his salary. Reports had surfaced earlier that the team was trying to restructure his contract, but apparently the team just decided to release him outrightt.
Guion's release leaves another hole on the Vikings defensive line, as now the team has only four defensive lineman under contract for 2014. As I mentioned in my breakdown at the position, I expected Guion to stay with the team simply because the Vikings need bodies on their defensive line in the worst sort of way. This means the team will likely be pretty active in free agency this year, as the team can't expect to fill all the holes on their defensive line through the draft alone.
Child's release affects the Vikings a lot less on the field, but it is nonetheless a sad story. Childs was a fourth round pick in 2012, but he proceed to blow out two tendons in his knee in training camp. Childs spent all of the 2012 and 2013 seasons rehabbing, but it was always very doubtful he could have a productive career.
It seems with a new coaching staff, the Vikings are ready to let Childs go. There are no free lunches in the NFL, and the Vikings probably don't want to try to use up a training camp spot for a player they don't ever think will see the field.
At the very least, Childs had access to outstanding trainers during his time with the Vikings, and it's safe to say he had outstanding medical care during his time with the team. At the very least, Childs should leave his NFL career with the ability to walk again, though he may never be as gifted as he once was.
Sadly, that's the reality for hundreds of players each year in the NFL.
With the cap savings from these moves, the Vikings now have approximately $41 million in cap room.
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