With the Vikings and the other three final four teams unable to acquire unrestricted free agents who didn’t acquire that status by being cut, running backs Brian Westrbook and LaDainian Tomlinson are two of the players that can freely be signed.
But the Vikings aren’t talking about either guy, even as they face the potential departure of running back Chester Taylor.
“I will say that we look at everybody,” V.P. of player personnel Rick Spielman said Thursday, per Judd Zulgad of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “We evaluate and then we move on but we’re early in this process. We plan on talking to Chester’s guy and seeing where he’s at and then we’ll just go on from there.”
Asked if coach Brad Childress, who worked with Westbrook in Philly through 2005, had expressed a “comfort level” in Westbrook, Spielman said, “No.” He then said, “I’ll just keep all our internal discussions internal.”
But Spielman did say that the Vikings “definitely” want to try to re-sign Taylor. It means that the Vikings won’t even be in position to make a decision about Westbrook or Tomlinson until they know Taylor’s status.
One guy whose input should be sought on this point? A certain aging quarterback whose decision regarding a possible return in 2010 surely will have a lot to do with the overall composition of the roster come August.