Free agent offensive lineman Nick Easton visited with the Saints on Thursday, ESPN’s Field Yates tweets. A return to the Vikings, however, is not out of the question and the team still has interest in retaining his services, Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune tweets.
After starting 12 games with the Vikings in 2017, Easton suffered a season-ending injury when he fractured his ankle in late December. He signed a one-year restricted free-agent deal with the team in hopes of signing a long-term deal the following offseason. However, the Harvard product missed the entire 2018 season after having surgery to repair a herniated disk in his neck in August.
Although he has seen time at center, left guard, and right guard, he was slated to be the team’s top LG in 2018. Kramer adds that Vikings general manager Rick Spielman says Easton fits the athletic type that team is looking for along the line.
Coming back from back-to-back season-ending injuries, Easton would likely serve as depth no matter where he signs.