Once-Promising Vikings Linebacker Has Apparently Been Demoted
The defensive scheme has been fascinating since the Minnesota Vikings hired Brian Flores in February of 2023. Flores wants to put pressure on opposing passers, primarily by adding extra rushers to the usual four. Linebackers, safeties, and cornerbacks can be seen in the backfield all game. On the other hand, he also features a league-high percentage of snaps with only three pass-rushers.
Once-Promising Vikings Linebacker Has Apparently Been Demoted
Because of that unique system, Flores needs versatile starters and role players who can do one job extremely well. Last year’s rookie sensation, Ivan Pace, was supposed to be the latter as a pass-rush specialist, but he has turned into a versatile three-down piece for Flores.
Because of his emergence, 2022 third-rounder Brian Asamoah lost his presumed starting role next to Jordan Hicks and barely saw the field on defense in his sophomore season. Ex-Texans linebacker Blake Cashman is replacing Hicks, and the two starters Cashman and Pace can safely be penciled in.
That again leaves Asamoah as the odd man out and replacement linebacker at best. The problem, however, is that he is about to lose that status, too. Veteran free-agent addition Kamu Grugier-Hill, a signing many fans didn’t even consider a significant move, threatens Asamoah’s LB3 spot.
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert noted that Grugier-Hill is in contention to succeed Hicks as the green-dot linebacker with Cashman and Pace. Asamoah wasn’t named. The green dot refers to a speaker in the helmet through which the coordinator can communicate with one defender to give him the play-calls, similar to the quarterback on offense.
Alec Lewis, from The Athletic, wrote a piece with a short remark about every player on Minnesota’s roster, and his words about Grugier-Hill were telling: “Likely the primary backup in the event of injury.”
Asamoah’s role, meanwhile, continues to diminish: “Special teams contributor when healthy and was available this spring.”
Of course, special teams players are essential, too, but it has been quite the fall for Asamoah in the last 14 months. After the Vikings had released Eric Kendricks and passed on the opportunity to select a successor in the draft, it was supposed to be a top linebacker duo between Hicks and Asamoah in the 2023 season.
Pace usurped Asamoah, and the latter would only be a backup for the entire season. Despite appearing in 13 contests, the former Oklahoma standout logged 36 snaps on defense, a downgrade from the 119 in his debut season.
That rookie campaign and his draft status as an early third-rounder contributed to the high expectations. Late in the 2022 season, both defensive coordinator Ed Donatell and head coach Kevin O’Connell emphasized their trust in Asamoah and promised to find some additional snaps despite Kendricks and Hicks both staying healthy.
Indeed, his snap counts ramped up later in the season, and he contributed. His flashiest play came undoubtedly versus the New York Giants on Christmas Eve when he ripped the ball out of Daniel Bellinger’s hands.
As the fourth linebacker, Asamoah is still on the inside track to earn a spot on the 53-man roster. Most franchises keep four off-ball linebackers on the team. It should be noted, however, that the fourth guy could lose his job if one of the other linebackers can show more promise as a special teams player. The candidates are Dallas Gant, Abraham Beauplan, and C.J. Cloyd. All three went undrafted in the last two years.
It will be an important training camp for the 24-year-old linebacker out of Oklahoma.
The Rise of Ivan Pace Continues
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt