In a bit of bad news for the organization, big-name free agent defensive tackle Michael Pierce informed the team he would be opting out of the 2020 season due to his asthma and the high-risk category it puts him in.
The Minnesota Vikings will surely look to replace him internally with a player like Shamar Stephen or Armon Watts, but if those two don’t show enough in camp, they could look to the free-agent market. Here are some names the Vikings could look to bring in on a one-year deal to be their primary run-stuffer.
Marcell Dareus
Marcell Dareus is one player the Vikings could kick the tires on when it comes to replacing Pierce. He was a former first-round choice of the Buffalo Bills back in 2011. He spent his first six seasons with the Bills before being dealt to the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2017. Dareus has been extremely productive over the course of his decade-long career. He’s racked up 365 tackles and 50 tackles for a loss. What makes him unique and more than just a run-stuffer, is that he can provide interior pressure. He has 37.5 sacks for his career, which is quite a few for someone whose role is to shut down the running game.
Dareus’s play has fallen off in recent seasons. He Had just 32 tackles in 2018, and only appeared in six games in 2019. While that dip in production isn’t great, it could cause his price tag to be very low and friendly to Minnesota and their cap situation. Who knows, he may come in with a chip on his shoulder and play like the stud he was back in 2015.
Domata Peko
Domata Peko may be an aging veteran, but he is one that is familiar with Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer. Peko played with Zimmer in Cincinnati, so the head coach clearly knows what Peko brings to the table. Peko’s biggest knock is his age. He’s 35 years old and heading into his 15th season in the NFL. Despite being on the wrong side of 30, Peko has kept his body in great shape and can still produce. He only appeared in seven games a season ago for the Baltimore Ravens but was able to rack up 14 tackles in that span.
Prior to his brief stint in 2019, Peko had been averaging about 45 combined tackles a season. He’s a proven force against the run and his 20 career sacks show that he can occasionally provide some interior pass rush as well. An added bonus of having Peko around is the knowledge he can bestow upon the Vikings’ young players. Peko has been playing forever and would be like having a second defensive line coach on the field with all the wisdom he’s accumulated over the years.
If Peko wants to play one final season for a contender, he may consider the Vikings. It would reunite him with an old friend in Zimmer and allow him to play for a team that should be in the thick of things when January approaches.
Corey Liuget
Corey Liuget is a candidate who has played defensive tackle and defensive end throughout his career. He’s extremely athletic for being 6’2″, 300 pounds. He was a former first-round choice of the Los Angeles Chargers and lived up to that lofty billing early in his career.
Liuget was very productive through his first five years in the league. In those seasons, he had 21 sacks, 203 tackles and 39 tackles for loss. Things were looking good for the big man when he signed a hefty five year $58.5 million extension with the Chargers, figuring to be a Bolt for life.
Things quickly went south for Liuget, however. In 2015, he suffered a foot injury halfway through the season, and ended up getting placed on I.R. Over the next few years, he sustained injuries to his back, toe and knee. Then in 2018, he was suspended four games for a PED violation, then tore his quad and missed the final six games of the season.
That was enough for the Chargers to say goodbye. Liuget played for the Bills and then the Raiders, but really didn’t do much for either one. He’s only 30 years old and maybe just needs to land in the right situation — and that could be with the Vikings. While he did play defensive end in a 3-4 front for many years, he’s big enough to anchor inside, taking up space and shutting down opponent’s running games. He’s definitely someone the Vikings could consider if the youth movement at nose tackle doesn’t pan out, and with his injury history, wouldn’t cost too much.
Damon “Snacks” Harrison
How could the Vikings not want to bring in a guy named Snacks? Damon Harrison is definitely big enough to come in and anchor against the run. He’s 6’3″ and 350 pounds. and is a beast of a human being. He has been in the league since 2012, staying mostly in New York — he played for both the Jets and Giants. He most recently was with the Detroit Lions but has yet to find a home for the 2020 season. If someone can’t grab the Vikings starting nose tackle job in camp, this is one player the team could definitely call.
Harrison has 485 total tackles in his career, with 37 of those accounting for a loss. He only has 11 career sacks, which shows that his ability to stuff the run is his primary function and focus. He is coming off a down season where he played the fewest snaps of his career since 2014. His PFF grade also tanked, as he dipped to a 63.2 overall. Harrison was dealing with some injuries as he missed time due to a groin injury, and also was part of a Lions defense that was horrible from top to bottom.
Harrison could find extra motivation playing for the Vikings and showing the division-rival Lions they made a mistake when they let him go.
