Dede Westbrook could make free agent decision soon

Free agent wide receiver Dede Westbrook should be expected to make a decision sometime in the near future given that training campo is closing in and the level of interest teams are now giving him.

NFL reporter Ian Rapoport learned that the Minnesota Vikings will host Westbrook for a visit on Saturday, giving them the edge to keep him there as camp begins soon. Fellowo reporter Josina Anderson herself posted a further update that the Seattle Seahawks are waiting for a Sunday visit if a deal isn’t reached with the Vikings.

Just like that, Westbrook is a hot commodity which typically means he’ll find a place to land soon enough. That gives Minnesota the best odds and Seattle following closely thereafter, but it’s also important to note that Rapoport also mentioned other unidentified teams that were interested.

What this means is that there is at least one team in the periphery if he means that the Vikings and Seahawks are two of the three interested. However, the Cincinnati Bengals touched base with Westbrook earlier this offseason, and rumors also persisted that some Chiefs players were trying to entice him to sign with Kansas City.

Last season, Westbrook suffered a horrible leg injury after being a bit buried on the depth chart. He suffered a torn ACL and his subsequent rehab is why you’re seeing him make the rounds so late in free agency. He finished the seasons with only one catch in two games played.

That was a big shift from the previous two seasons in Jacksonville when Westbrook was trusted enough as a receiver to earn over 100 targets in consecutive years. Westbrook caught 66 of those passes in each of his last two seasons as a healthy option with 717 yards in 2018 and 660 yards in 2019.

If somehow Westbrook were to emerge from these visits without a deal and something remained on the table from the Chiefs, Westbrook would be an intriguing addition in a couple ways. Westbrook has legitimate speed and could serve as a primary punt returner for the Chiefs if they are dealing with trust issues with Mecole Hardman. However, Westbrook is certainly not the sort of big, physical X receiver that Sammy Watkins was, so Westbrook would be pushing a familiar face out of the way.