The Good And Not-So-Good From The 2021 Minnesota Vikings Linebackers

The 2021 Minnesota Vikings linebackers were, like most every position group on the team, erratic. Only five linebackers played defensive snaps on the season. Anthony Barr, one of the longest-tenured players on the team, missed the first four weeks of the season as the Vikings fell to 1-3. Eric Kendricks had a strong start to the season before tailing off near the end. Nick Vigil splashed on occasion and got embarrassed in the running game otherwise.
The season felt like a continuation of 2020 for the linebackers. Starters missed time, and their backups weren’t capable of consistently filling in. The future is cloudy for every player in the group with a new defensive scheme set to be implemented.
The Good
He may be the victim of some harsh grading from Pro Football Focus, but Eric Kendricks turned in another solid season in 2021. He led the team with 44 stops. These are plays that PFF constitutes as as offensive failures. Kendricks allowed 72.4% of passes to be completed in his direction, over nine percentage points better than any of his fellow linebackers.
Blake Lynch actually turned in a relatively good season, starting six times in ten total games. He played only 218 snaps, but he still graded out as the best linebacker for the Vikings in 2021 with a PFF grade of 64.6. His 68.7 coverage grade ranked only behind Kendricks, and he was able to tally two sacks in his limited snaps.
Anthony Barr almost helped the Vikings upset the LA Rams in Week 16. His two interceptions off of Matthew Stafford set the Vikings offense up inside the redzone. He made an acrobatic interception in overtime earlier in the season against the Ravens that put Minnesota’s offense in a position to win the game. As has been the case for most of Barr’s career, when he was on top of his game, the defense could be a force.
The Not-So-Good
Unfortunately, Barr missed the first four games of the season after playing in only two games in 2020. His absence thrust veteran Nick Vigil into the starting lineup. Vigil did have a key pick-six against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2, but he was boom-or-bust most of the season. His 42.6 PFF grade was by far the worst in the group. This was most hampered by his 31.7 run-defense grade. But with Barr banged up throughout the year, Vigil started 11 games.
The only other linebacker to see defensive snaps was 2020 fourth-round pick Troy Dye. The Oregon product struggled after being thrust into the lineup in 2020. In 2021, he only saw 54 snaps from scrimmage, getting a start in the season finale. He totaled eight tackles on the year, but at 6’4″, 226, he looks and plays like a player out of position. That Lynch and Vigil leapfrogged him on the depth chart is telling.
Finally, rookie Chazz Surratt was one of three third-round selections by the Vikings in the 2021 draft. Like QB Kellen Mond and OG Wyatt Davis, Surratt couldn’t find the field. Like Dye, Surratt fell down the depth chart. Unlike Dye, Surratt didn’t even see the field on defense. On special teams, Surratt failed to even register a single tackle despite seeing plenty of coverage snaps. It’s early, but his rookie campaign was a flop.
What To Expect Moving Forward
Minnesota’s defense will be shifting to a 3-4 base alignment in 2022. Like the defensive line, the future of the Minnesota Vikings linebackers hangs in the balance as 2021 fades into the rear view mirror. Lynch could provide some depth. But base alignment change or not, Kendricks will be 30 heading into the season. Barr and Vigil are free agents. Dye and Surratt haven’t proven that they can hold the fort at all. So what’s to be done in the off-season?
Although it isn’t ideal to have such a thin position group heading into the off-season, this does allow head coach Kevin O’Connell and defensive coordinator Ed Donatell to find guys who fit their system in 2022. Even if every linebacker from 2021 returned, the team still likely lacks a true 3-4 outside linebacker. They could move defensive ends Danielle Hunter or D.J. Wonnum to linebacker, but finding a true fit might be more ideal for not only 2022, but the future.
So as bleak as it may appear right now on paper, the Vikings’ linebackers will see an overhaul this off-season. That will help build optimism heading into the season. O’Connell came from a team that won a Super Bowl with Von Miller rushing off of the edge. Although he is past his prime, the idea of an elite edge rusher like him, paired with Hunter on the defensive line, is exciting.
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