Who Will Emerge in the Vikings DE Battle?
Josh Frey
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Going into this preseason, all eyes have been on the trenches. Obviously, there are hopes for improvement on both sides. A major focus was placed on the o-line in the draft, and veterans Danielle Hunter, Michael Pierce, and Dalvin Tomlinson will be week one starters on defense.
Predictably, the offensive line came away with some question marks after the preseason opener. It was difficult to discern anything about the defensive line, though, as all three of the aforementioned starters sat out. The biggest question still remains though: who will be the DE starter opposite of Hunter?
The RDE Battle
This position battle may be decided sooner than expected if Everson Griffen does in fact sign with the Vikings. Griffen played in Minnesota for 10 years before departing for the Dallas Cowboys in 2020. Bridges seemed to be burned after Griffen made a few suggestive comments about Kirk Cousins this offseason, but despite all that, the Vikings brought Griffen in for a workout on Wednesday. If he were to sign a new deal to play in Minnesota, he would be the most qualified for the starting job.
For now, the Vikings need to work with who they have though. This is a team that obviously missed Hunter last year, as among players that actually finished the year in Minnesota, Ifeadi Odenigbo led the team in sacks at a mere 3.5. The Vikings will need to be much better at generating consistent pressure this season.
Stephen Weatherly was brought in during free agency, and Minnesota has a few promising young players, including D.J. Wonnum. Wonnum’s first preseason game did not go as well as Vikings fans hoped, but that game was far from what normal circumstances will look like. This upcoming weekend, at least the first few series will be much closer to replicating what a normal Sunday will look like for the Vikings defensive line.
Previewing Preseason Week Two
Both Mike Zimmer and Indianapolis Colts head coach, Frank Reich, have said that most of their starters will get reps in Saturday night’s game. Additionally, Michael Pierce confirmed he will take snaps for the first time since 2019 by saying simply, “I’m playing this game. I’m super excited.”
Of course, there’s the obvious implications of the “ones” getting playing time. If Zimmer plans on running his starters, we will get a clearer picture as to who is currently leading this RDE battle.
Defensive line coach Andre Patterson left it very up in the air when he was talking about the performances from both players in the opener. “They both played the same amount of reps. They both did some good. They both did some bad. The evaluation continues into the next preseason game.”
We can’t forget about rookie DE Patrick Jones, either. The Vikings took him in the third round of this spring’s draft for a reason, and he has impressed early on. Against the Broncos, he had one of Minnesota’s few signature plays by helping blow up a running play in the backfield.
This next preseason game against the Colts could prove to be a big test not just for the defensive line, but for the Vikings as a whole. Indianapolis is a talented team, whose offense is anchored by the second-year running back, Jonathan Taylor. With the injury to Carson Wentz, they have questions at QB, but this team has stars all over the field on both sides of the ball.
Specific to the defensive line though, this game will go a long ways towards determining how elite the Vikings front can be. Indianapolis boasts one of the top o-lines in the entire league and generating pressure against them was near impossible last season. This is a massive week towards determining who will start week one in Cincinnati.