Playing for Mike Zimmer drew Emmanuel Lamur to Vikings

One figured the presence of coach Mike Zimmer was one of the biggest reasons why outside linebacker Emmanuel Lamur, another of Zimmer's former defenders from Cincinnati, signed with the Vikings as a free agent.

As it turns out, the Zimmer factor was the only reason.

"The reason why I came here is because of Zimmer — it's simple as that," Lamur said Thursday. "He's a good coach and he brings the best out of players."

OK, so the two-year, $6 million contract Lamur signed probably had something to do with it, too. But on a conference call with local reporters, Lamur sounded pretty fired up about getting started with his old coach and new team.

"I'm super excited to be here," Lamur said. "Words can't even explain."

Zimmer was defensive coordinator in Cincinnati when the Bengals signed Lamur, who played both linebacker and safety at Kansas State, as an undrafted free agent in 2012. Lamur said he instantly could tell Zimmer knew his stuff.

"You can see that right away," Lamur said. "He's very bright and very aggressive as a coach. And that's a coach you want to play for. He's a player's coach."

The 6-4, 245-pound linebacker was a backup at both outside spots under Zimmer in their one full season together and had a role in the nickel package. Lamur went on to play in 39 games for the Bengals, starting 15, and recorded 150 tackles.

The Vikings have a pair of quality young starting linebackers in Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks and free-agent linebacker Chad Greenway could be re-signed, but Lamur said his expectation is to compete for significant playing time.

"Just trying to start, that's going to be the main goal for right now," he said.

More O-line help may come

Even after signing free-agent guard Alex Boone, hanging on to offensive tackles Matt Kalil and Phil Loadholt and bringing back guard Mike Harris, the Vikings might not be done making moves to bolster their offensive line.

The Vikings have expressed interest in free-agent tackle Andre Smith, according to multiple reports. Smith, the sixth overall pick in 2009, played on the right side during his time with the Cincinnati Bengals. He has made 73 career starts.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are also reportedly interested in Smith.

The Vikings had also kept an eye on tackle Jermon Bushrod, who was cut by the Chicago Bears last month. But he joined the Miami Dolphins on Thursday.No visit had been set up for Bushrod, and nothing appears to be imminent with Smith. General Manager Rick Spielman said Thursday morning on KFAN the team had no visits scheduled with any players over the next couple of days. But he did acknowledge that the Vikings were monitoring "five or six" free agents.

"We're never done," Spielman said. "Are we going to spend big money on free agents? Absolutely not. But if there are guys out there looking to come in and compete on a very good football team, we're always going to welcome them."

In addition to Kalil and Loadholt, the Vikings also have second-year offensive tackle T.J. Clemmings, who started every game as a rookie, along with Austin Shepherd and Carter Bykowski, the Eden Prairie native. Harris, who was the starting right guard in 2015, could be added to the mix at tackle, too.

One thing to note when it comes to the increasingly crowded tackle situation is that none of the base salary in Loadholt's new restructured deal is guaranteed. So finances probably won't affect Loadholt's status on the team.

Sherels shops around

Free-agent cornerback and special-teams standout Marcus Sherels visited the New York Jets on Thursday, according to a source, and might visit other teams.

The Vikings have expressed an interest in re-signing the Rochester native, who ranked 12th in the NFL last season with an average of 9.1 yards per punt return. But they did not make a substantial enough offer to keep him from exploring his options.