Vikings

Let’s Pump the Brakes On the Vikings' Defense

Photo Credit: Brad Rempel (USA TODAY Sports)

When the Minnesota Vikings’ season ended last year, Mike Zimmer was a broken man. Zimmer, who had never coached a bad defense, had just overseen a unit that ranked 27th in yards allowed and 29th in points allowed. He was determined never to let it happen again.

Zimmer and the Vikings hit the free-agent market and collected veteran players like they were Infinity Stones to rectify the situation. The first wave of free agency brought Dalvin Tomlinson, Patrick Peterson, Xavier Woods, and Mackensie Alexander. The Vikings added Bashaud Breeland in the second wave to complete the secondary, but something was missing.

That something arrived when the Vikings re-worked Danielle Hunter’s contract and then signed Sheldon Richardson less than 24 hours later. Zimmer’s Infinity Gauntlet was complete. Armed with the pieces to replicate the 2017 defense, Zimmer could feel the power coursing through his veins, and Minnesota was ready to take over the world. Or at least the NFC North.

Okay, maybe that’s a little much. But so is the assumption that the Vikings suddenly have a top-five defense or that a path to the Super Bowl has been paved this offseason. In reality, the Vikings still have plenty of questions on defense. Before we can dub this the second coming of the 2017 team, several issues need to be addressed.

The first is Hunter’s health. While the Vikings pacified Hunter by converting $5.3 million to a signing bonus, he’s still coming off a season-ending neck injury. Hunter is a physical specimen, but there’s no guarantee that he’ll automatically revert to the player who collected 14.5 sacks in 2019. That’s why the Vikings decided to restructure his contract instead of making him the highest-paid edge rusher in the NFL.

Vikings fans have been trained to be optimistic after watching Adrian Peterson win the MVP award in 2012 after his knee exploded in the final game of the 2011 season. But neck injuries are a big deal. If you don’t believe me, ask Mike Hughes, who was on his way to a decent career before breaking his neck late in the 2019 season. He was never the same, and the Vikings offloaded him to Kansas City earlier this year.

If Hunter isn’t 100%, the Vikings’ defensive line could be in the same situation it was a year ago. Richardson should help generate pressure on the interior, but the combination of D.J. Wonnum and Stephen Weatherly isn’t going to invoke memories of Everson Griffen in his prime. That could lead to another season where the defense finishes at or near the bottom of the NFL’s sack totals.

Hunter isn’t the only key player coming off a major injury. Anthony Barr tore his pectoral muscle in Week 2 last season. Eric Wilson filled in admirably, but Wilson just signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Vikings’ coaching staff believes that Barr is a critical part of the defense.

Adam Zimmer recently discussed Barr’s role on defense, explaining that Barr does everything, including making the audibles, lining everybody up, being great in coverage, and making a nice strawberry mojito to enjoy after the game. (OK, I made that last part up, but you get the idea.) We know that Eric Wilson missed 20 tackles last season, which is more than Barr has missed (16) over the past four seasons combined. But because tackling requires plenty of upper body strength, this could be an issue for Barr as well if he’s still hampered by injury.

Then there are the additions the Vikings made this offseason. While the defense appears loaded with big names, our own Rob Searles noted there might be a reason these players were on the market.

If you went back to February and told fans that they would add these players to fix the defense, they would be ecstatic. In fact, they already are. But it’s also foolish to think the Vikings had the foundation to rebound to a top-five unit instantly.

When the Vikings led the league in defense in 2017, it was a perfect storm. Harrison Smith, 28, Eric Kendricks, 25, and Barr, 25, were all in the prime of their careers, while a near-perfect 2015 draft class added Trae Waynes and Hunter.

While it’s possible that the 2020 class added a long-term starter in Cameron Dantzler and a solid player in Harrison Hand, the core that made up that 2017 defense is now four years older, and with that comes a higher chance for injury, making it unlikely that the starters will only miss a combined total of five games, as they did in 2017.

In a positive scenario, Hunter and Barr bounce back while Kendricks, Smith, and the rest of the starters don’t lose a step. The offseason additions thrive on their one-year deals, and the Vikings catapult back to the top of the NFC North.

This is not totally out of the question. But when it comes to this year’s defense, reality may be disappointing.

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