Vikings Pass Rusher Set to Reunite with Adam Thielen
Josh Frey
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Over the past few days, the Minnesota Vikings have lost many of their featured pass rushers from last season.
Danielle Hunter opted to sign with the Houston Texans while Marcus Davenport is now a Detroit Lions. Now, D.J. Wonnum becomes the latest pass rusher to leave Minnesota, inking a new deal with the Carolina Panthers.
D.J. Wonnum Signs with Panthers
The news was reported by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, who tweeted, “The #Panthers and former #Vikings DE D.J. Wonnum are finalizing a two-year deal, per source.” The deal is reportedly a two-year contract worth a total of $14.5 million, as later reported by Ian Rapoport.
Wonnum was selected by the Vikings in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, and after Danielle Hunter suffered his neck injury prior to the season’s start, the rookie jumped up the depth chart, playing in 14 games and starting twice. He recorded three sacks during the rookie campaign.
In 2021, Wonnum actually led the entire Vikings team in sacks after Hunter again went down with an injury. Playing all 17 games and starting 14 of them, the pass rusher put together a strong second season by recording 62 tackles, seven tackles for loss, eight sacks, and a forced fumble.
With Hunter back to full health and Za’Darius Smith joining the team, Wonnum stepped back into a rotational role in 2022. As a result, he started just one game and totaled four sacks. The 2023 season again saw Wonnum hop back into the starting lineup, though.
Marcus Davenport, who was initially signed as the Smith replacement, played just four games over the course of the season, and Wonnum was the beneficiary by putting up eight sacks for the second time in three years. However, a partially torn quad ended his season in Week 16 against the Detroit Lions.
Now, Wonnum has a chance to become a featured pass rusher for the Panthers after the team decided to trade Brian Burns. Not only does Wonnum reunite with WR Adam Thielen, but former Vikings pass rusher Luiji Vilain is another depth piece in Carolina at the outside linebacker spot.
In total, Wonnum has put together 171 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, 23 sacks, and a pair of forced fumbles throughout his four-year career. The pass rusher will turn 27 years old on October 31st.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.