Did the Vikings Drop the Ball?
How does some pass-rushing help at defensive tackle sound?
Last year, Brian Flores did some excellent work with (at best) an average group of talent. Did the Vikings drop the ball by not picking up a well-respected veteran to add to his arsenal?
Earlier in the week, the Miami Dolphins — Flores’ former employer — announced that they’ve signed DT/DE Calais Campbell, someone who had been connected to Minnesota at various points.
Per OTC, the cap charge is just $2 million (less than a million is guaranteed); Minnesota is currently sitting on more than $26 million in cap space.
Did the Vikings Drop the Ball with Calais Campbell?
The approach at defensive tackle leaves something to be desired.
Harrison Phillips has been a strong signing. The former Bill is a powerful run defender and he has a great understanding of the game alongside some tremendous leadership abilities. Off the field, he’s second-to-none with his charitable work. Genuinely, he’s a difference-maker who can be a key part of a winning football team. Great pickup by the Vikings.
Many of the other additions, though, haven’t gone perfectly. One thinks of Ross Blacklock and Dean Lowry as players who were supposed to provide some pass-rush help who failed to do so.
More recently, someone like Jerry Tillery was added. And, in fairness, there’s reason to believe he could do well. Minnesota’s new d-line coach has good things to say about the defender, praising Tillery for his build and approach to the game. Maybe Tillery plays well.
The appeal of Campbell, though, is that he looks like a sure thing. Or, at least, someone who is close to a sure thing. The towering defender is older, yes, but still a menace on the field. Even at 37, the 6’8″ defensive lineman is an absolute handful for offensive linemen to corral.
Campbell is someone we’ve discussed before.
Last year, Campbell picked up 17 starts for the Falcons, playing 712 snaps on defense. Along the way, Campbell had 56 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 17 QB hits, 10 TFLs, 1 PD, 1 FF, and 1 FR. Impressive stuff.
PFF gave him a rock-solid 80.0 grade for his efforts last season. He picked up most of his snaps out wide in a defensive end alignment, but he also soaked up snaps as a 3T and a 5T. In Minnesota, Campbell would have likely been tasked with shining at 3T/5T.
Maybe he was looking for an opportunity to be out wide more, contributing to the Miami decision. Or, perhaps, a warmer climate was appealing; Miami is said to have nicer beaches than Minneapolis. Maybe Minnesota made an offer that was more lucrative but the Dolphins held appeal for a different reason.
From outside of Eagan, it’s tough to say for sure, but one wonders if a deal that came in a decent bit beyond the $2 million could have still convinced the versatile lineman to call Minnesota home for a season.
Or maybe Brian Flores is genuinely pleased with the options available to him. There are a lot of DTs in-house, and not all of them are underwhelming. Jaquelin Roy is a breakout candidate. Levi Drake Rodriguez is a late-round selection but he has a lot of supporters. Jihad Ward can kick inside and is coming off of 5 sacks last year. And then someone like Jonathan Bullard commands a pile of respect among the coaches.
Wouldn’t Calais Campbell have still been a nice add, though?
In the modern NFL, there’s no such as too many pass rushers. Defenders who can disrupt the pass are paramount to success. Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Dallas Turner are going to be leaned on to put in work for Mr. Flores. Complementing that crew with a savvy vet who can still finish plays would have made some sense.
If the d-line struggles and Campbell shines in Miami, it will be hard not to think back to June and wonder about whether the Vikings dropped the ball by not landing Campbell.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.