If you're talking done deals that come with signatures and boring news conferences, NFL free agency starts at 3 p.m. CT Wednesday. If you're the NFL and you've cornered the market on breathless, 24/7/365 rumors and hype, free agency started with the legal tampering window at 11 a.m. CT on Monday.

Whenever it started, the Vikings have roughly $30 million in cap space and some familiar offseason needs. Here is one person's top three:

1, Offensive line

Two years ago, when he arrived for his first head coaching gig, Mike Zimmer huddled with General Manager Rick Spielman and immediately tapped defensive line as the team's primary need to focus on. The result was an impressive overhaul that worked in tandem with a better system to spark a dramatic improvement defensively.

Today, the primary need is just as clear as it was two years ago. Without a similar upgrade on the offensive line, the Vikings can't count on Teddy Bridgewater taking the next step, which is a must if the team wants to ever reach a fifth Super Bowl anytime soon.

Target: Baltimore G-T Kelechi Osemele is the prized free-agent lineman and reportedly will sign a mega deal with the Raiders. The Vikings are looking at possibly having to pay Matt Kalil $11 million, so they probably got priced out in their pursuit of Osemele. … Browns center Alex Mack is intriguing, but 30. Browns right tackle Mitchell Schwartz is 26. 49ers guard Alex Boone might be a good fit and is 28.

2, A prototypical No. 1 receiver

Randy Moss was traded — the first time — 11 years ago. Except for 2009, when Sidney Rice teamed up with Brett Favre, the Vikings have had a perpetual need for a prototypical No. 1 receiver that has the size, speed and length to create mismatches down the field and give the quarterback more confidence that balls thrown up for grabs will be grabbed by the right guy.

Eventually, the Vikings are going to find the right guy with all those physical attributes and the ability to learn an offense, run a route and catch a ball. The law of averages demands that it happen at some point. Plus, some of us are tired of putting "prototypical No. 1 receiver" on the offseason to-do list. It's already surpassed the number of times that "BB gun" was placed on Santa Claus' list in the '70s.

Target: There isn't much to shoot at in free agency. Cincinnati's Marvin Jones, 26, is the top target. He's 6-2, 198.

3, Strong safety

Coach Mike Zimmer allowed himself to daydream publicly at the combine about all the things he could do with free safety Harrison Smith if he had "the right guy" to team with him at strong safety. It's unlikely that re-signing Andrew Sendejo recently qualifies as nailing down the "right guy."

Sendejo is a valuable asset and acceptable fall-back option, but we're entering Year 3 of the Vikings trying to land another playmaker at safety. If they do that, their defense could challenge for a No. 1 ranking.

Target: Cincinnati's George Iloka appears to fit in many ways. He's 25. He's 6-4, 225. And he knows Zimmer's system.