The draft is dominating the headlines in the football world right now, but there are still veteran free agents hunting for jobs as well.
Two of them visited with the Vikings recently. Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times reports that defensive end Lawrence Jackson met with the team while Howard Balzer of the Sports Xchange reports that cornerback Jacob Lacey was also in Minnesota to see the team.
Jackson was a first-round pick of the Seahawks in 2008 and spent two years in Seattle before moving on to the Lions for the last three years. He hasn’t quite lived up to his draft status, making 24 starts in his first two seasons before moving into a role as a rotational lineman with the Lions. The Vikings should be familiar with him as a result of his time in Detroit and Jackson would slot into the Vikings mix behind Jared Allen, Everson Griffen and Brian Robison.
Lacey was also with the Lions in 2012, his first season with the team after spending his first three NFL seasons with the Colts. Injuries limited him to 11 games for Detroit last season, during which he recorded 36 tackles and an interception, and he’d certainly be a candidate for a healthy amount of playing time in a somewhat unsettled cornerback corps in Minnesota.