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The 2020 Minnesota Vikings Pass Rush ranked last in the NFL by PFF. Until last season, Mike Zimmer’s pass rush had never been less than 20th during his time here. A few factors have played into this one-season outlier that will lead to a drastic change in personnel and an improvement in the defensive line in 2021.
Injuries and dropouts were the main reason for the pass rush in 2020. Minnesota’s top four defensemen up front – Michael Pierce, Danielle Hunter, Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks – have all been injured or missed the game. time.
That’s not the only reason the pass rush was terrible last season. They also had a wave of new side players to replace the left corners. The first three corners for the Vikings last season averaged 0.33 years of NFL experience entering the season, with sophomore corner Kris Boyd being the group’s veteran.
The young high school boy started off slow, so a passing rush from Vikings that was already short of key pieces never had time to build pressure on its own with open receivers.
Either way, Minnesota will certainly maneuver to improve the defensive line this offseason, and there are moves that make perfect sense for their situation.
Line D will have at least one notable start this offseason.
Shamar Stephen has been a reliable deep defensive tackle for six years, but he’s 29 and will likely be a cap victim. If the Vikings cut him or traded him, they would save nearly $ 3.8 million for next season.
It’s an obvious cut. But are there more on the line?
The answer is most likely no.
As much young players as fourth rounds Jaleel Johnson and Jalyn Holmes have disappointed the starting spots so far, the Vikings need bodies on the line and aren’t saving a lot of money by cutting them.
It’s possible that Hunter’s contract will be renegotiated, but that’s a big if, and he’ll only hit the cap in the coming seasons. Also, there have been rumors that Hunter’s party would like him to be the highest paid end in the NFL, and that is not unreasonable.
Ifeadi Odenigbo will likely have the starting spot on the line opposite Hunter, but that side will always be a defensive end in committee with DJ Wonnum, Holmes and Hercules Mata’afa. It’s likely that Wonnum will have won the most shots during the season if he thrives on a solid rookie campaign, given he’s a complement to Hunter.
The Vikings are more likely to add an ending to the draft than free agency due to the cap limitation and the talent already there. But this is where the tackler’s defensive position gets interesting.
Stephen’s impending departure leaves Pierce in his first year of play after his retirement last year, and Johnson in front of him. Minnesota sorely needs a stable 3 technique since Sharrif Floyd got injured. This is why it is likely that they will sell for Geno Atkins.
Zimmer has coached Atkins firsthand and the defense is in desperate need of a good 3-tech. That’s why they tried Sheldon Richardson in 2018 – he just didn’t stick.
Pieces in the tackle position are much better when used as intended – for depth. James Lynch and Armon Watts weren’t supposed to play a big role last year, although rookie Lynch had an impressive sack in limited playing time.
With the addition of Atkins and Pierce and the return of Hunter, the line will once again be able to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks. The rotating players have also shown they can play at NFL level with all the adversity of defense last season. I think they performed relatively well considering the number of issues they dealt with.
The defensive line can only come up from here, and with some extra depth in the draft, I think it will easily be a top 10 unit if they are able to catch Atkins and keep everyone. in good health. Last season was an outlier; expects the D-line to be a strong point in the 2021-22 Vikings defense.
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