The Minnesota Vikings, who lost veteran guard Artis Hicks at the outset of free agency, have been kicking the tires on a possible replacement

Chester Pitts said that the Vikings checked in on him recently to see where he is at physically in his recovery from microfracture surgery on his right knee. It’s been a long road back for Pitts, who had the surgery after being injured last September. Before being hurt, he had started every game in the history of the Houston Texans.

Pitts had previously been mentioned as a possibility in Detroit and San Francisco and Seattle are also possible landing sports, according to a report in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. If he were to join the Vikings, he could be in the mix for the starting job at right guard with Anthony Herrera.

Pitts hopes to be fully recovered by the time training camp rolls around, meaning the team that signs him might want to wait to make a commitment.

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