There were grand visions for the Vikings’ defensive line when Yannick Ngakoue was acquired on Aug. 30.
Never mind that Everson Griffen had spurned the Vikings and signed with the Dallas Cowboys. As soon as Danielle Hunter got healthy from a “tweak” that he suffered in training camp, they would have two fearsome pass rushers once again.
Not only will the Vikings never realize that vision, but for the final 10 games of the 2020 season, neither Ngakoue nor Hunter will suit up for the Vikings at all.
Within a 90-minute period Thursday morning, news broke that Ngakoue was traded to the Baltimore Ravens for a reported third-round pick and future fifth-round pick, and that Hunter would be getting season-ending surgery to fix a herniated disk in his neck.
In between those breaking news reports, general manager Rick Spielman held his annual bye week press conference.
“These are always very difficult decisions,” Spielman said of the Ngakoue trade. “Part of my responsibility overseeing the football operations is to not only look at the short-term goals but the long-term goals as well. This was an opportunity that I felt would accomplish both the short and long-term as we move forward. But these decisions aren’t easy to make.”
Trading Ngakoue recoups some — but not all — of the value surrendered in his initial acquisition. The Vikings gave the Jacksonville Jaguars a second-round pick and future fifth to get Ngakoue in purple, but the third-round pick they received from Baltimore will likely be late in the third round based on the Ravens’ outlook, perhaps around the 90th overall pick.
The six games Ngakoue spent with Minnesota were underwhelming. He had five sacks through the first six games but only 16 pressures, tied for 30th in the NFL. His run defense grade, per Pro Football Focus, was sixth-lowest in the league amongst qualified defensive ends.
The Vikings will turn to Ifeadi Odenigbo, Jalyn Holmes and D.J. Wonnum as their primary pass-rushers. While the group seemingly gets weaker on paper, Minnesota can get a longer look at some young, talented players who might be better scheme fits than Ngakoue, who was no guarantee to return in 2021. Ngakoue’s lack of consistent pressure may have also been a sticking point for Andre Patterson, who has long advocated for pass rushers who aren’t overly-focused on sack totals.
“A guy can have a three-sack game and the whole world says he played great,” Patterson said in August, “but of those 30 rushes he had, those were the only three quality rushes he had. Well, he played terrible for me, because it’s about quality rushes that make the quarterback feel uncomfortable, because that computes to winning football games.”
Hunter, on the other hand, was one of the best players in the league at consistently applying pressure over the last five years. After his initial injury on Aug. 14, Hunter tried to recover by resting and rehabbing, but he was eventually forced to seek a second opinion in New York, where it was reportedly recommended that he skip the 2020 season to address the herniated disk. He is under contract through 2023 for a combined $50.25 million. It’s been suggested Hunter could want a raise, but he’ll have a harder time negotiating after season-ending neck surgery.
In theory, the Vikings could have had Ngakoue and Hunter as their defensive ends. Michael Pierce, who opted out over COVID-19 concerns, could’ve been their nose tackle. Star linebacker Anthony Barr was injured for the season in Week 2.
Even with a healthy front seven, it was going to be tough keeping the Vikings defense strong with such an inexperienced secondary. Thursday’s news adds two more daggers to the team’s pass rush that was already vulnerable, reminding Spielman and Co. that whatever plans they had for the 2020 season may need to be thrown out the window.
“What you envision sometimes unfortunately doesn’t always come true,” Spielman said. “To have a Yannick and Danielle coming off the edges, to have an Anthony Barr and the way Zim has schematically used him to create pressure on the quarterback so he’s one-on-one with running backs, that’s how we envisioned it. Unfortunately it doesn’t work out like that. You try to readjust with some of the top playmakers you don’t have, especially on the defensive side. That’s what the coaches are doing right now.”
