While Sharrif Floyd rehabs with resistance bands amidst a tumultuous recovery due to complications from knee surgery, his potential replacement is making strides at defensive tackle.
Rookie Jaleel Johnson was tough for the Vikings’ young offensive linemen to handle Tuesday and Wednesday as he looks to crack the rotation on this year’s defensive line.
“He’s got really strong hands. He’s got some physicality,” said head coach Mike Zimmer. “He will play the blocker and not start looking into the backfield, trying to play with our technique.”
Zimmer and Co. have had a good eye for defensive tackles over the past several years, shaping seventh-round pick Shamar Stephen into a key rotational piece, finding journeyman Tom Johnson on the open market and signing free agent Linval Joseph to a long-term deal.
Jaleel Johnson, a fourth-round pick weighing in around 315 pounds, registered 7.5 sacks as a senior at Iowa along with 10 tackles for loss.
“I like his strength, I like his quickness,” said Zimmer. “He has good size and good explosiveness.”
He’s also got the right people around him. Johnson says he talks to veterans Joseph, Floyd and Tom Johnson frequently to pick their brain about the schemes. He’s also got long-time defensive line coach Andre Patterson as his primary instructor.
“Coach Dre, definitely one of the greatest coaches I’ve ever had in terms of him knowing the schemes and what they do on defense and him putting us in the right position to make a play,” said Johnson.
Odenigbo playing through pain
Another Vikings rookie on the defensive line has looked good, too. Ifeadi Odenigbo had success rushing off the edge Wednesday, albeit against a weak group of offensive tackles. According to Zimmer, he’s performing well despite a cut on his foot.
After having his ups and downs in OTAs, Odenigbo, the seventh-round selection, has caught the team’s attention with his strength.
“He’s probably going to have to be a power rusher because he’s a physical kind of guy,” said Zimmer.
His path to the roster is probably more difficult than Johnson’s. The Vikings already have Danielle Hunter, Brian Robison and Everson Griffen at end, not to mention last year’s seventh-round flier Stephen Weatherly. The team is also listing free agent acquisition Datone Jones as a defensive end on the official roster, though it’s yet to be seen if he’d move inside on situational downs.
Floyd update
Despite being placed on the non-football injury list, Floyd continues to rehab on the field each day as he attempts to return after missing most of last year.
The former first-round pick was not rehabbing on the field at the end of the last season, which seems to indicate that he’s made progress since he’s been seen working with trainers during the first two days of camp.
The official word from the head coach, though, is “I don’t know,” which he uttered four times when asked about Floyd’s potential return.
“I hope Sharrif gets back because he’s a good player when he gets back,” said Zimmer. “He’s improved a lot from when he left.”
Floyd has not gone into detail about his injury, but USA Today reported that he suffered nerve damage in his quadriceps during a September knee surgery.
