PFF Suggests Vikings Should Pursue A Specific FA Edge Rusher
K. Joudry
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Recently, Brad Spielberger from PFF made a suggestion for the Vikings: sign Emmanuel Ogbah in free agency. Spielberger even provides a rationale for this suggestion. Take a look:
This selection hinges on whether the new Minnesota Vikings general manager and head coach decide to bring back star edge defender Danielle Hunter. This first pivotal decision for the new regime must take place before Hunter’s $18 million roster bonus registers in early March, and while Hunter is an elite player, he’s now played just 384 snaps over two seasons. In a hypothetical scenario where Minnesota decides to move on, Ogbah has emerged as a strong 4-3 defensive end. He wouldn’t replace Hunter’s dominance, but his 127 quarterback pressures over the past two seasons would certainly go a long way in returning this Vikings front seven to the great unit it was for a long time under former head coach Mike Zimmer.
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I’m of the opinion that edge rusher ought to be the team’s main focus during the offseason. Sure, there’s all kinds of work that needs to be done elsewhere – which is to say nothing of what to do with the 45-million-dollar-man – but bringing in several players who can get after the QB is massively important.
Last season, Obdah was PFF’s 20th-best edge rusher, finishing with a very healthy 77.0 score. Part of the concern is that his production hasn’t been as spectacular in previous seasons. One wonders how much the 28-year-old will command in free agency.
Similar to essentially every other move a team makes, it comes down to the dollars and cents. Getting him for a 1-year, $6 million deal (not happening) is an absolute slam dunk; getting him for a 5-year, $100 million deal is obviously misguided.
PFF is picking up on a clear area of need for the Vikings. How they choose to address it is the real intrigue. As the above quote suggests, so much will depend on Hunter. The team also has several young DEs – DJ Wonnum, Patrick Jones III, Janarius Robinson – but it’s hard to envision them being impact starters. The goal ought to involve finding a productive solution for Hunter and finding another top-tier DE.
With the new GM in place and free agency less than two months away, the real work can begin.
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