Pre-Free Agency Vikings Roster Evaluation: Free Agency Will Tell the Story of Minnesota’s Edge Rushers
Josh Frey
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Free agency across the NFL officially gets started on Wednesday, March 13th.
Over the 11 days before free agency, we’ll be taking a bit of a deep dive into the Vikings roster to evaluate where each position group stands before the team can officially begin signing players on the open market. These evaluations will be broken up into the following topics:
- Quarterbacks
- Running Backs
- Wide Receivers
- Tight Ends
- Offensive Line
- Defensive Line
- Edge Rushers
- Linebackers
- Cornerbacks
- Safeties
- Special Teams
The series continues with more focus on the trenches. This time, we’ll be discussing the Vikings’ edge rushers, a group that could change drastically with the outcomes of free agency.
Current Vikings Edge Rushers
As of now, the Vikings have just two edge rushers under contract for 2024, which is something that is certain to change in the next week. Those two players are Andre Carter and Patrick Jones.
Jones, a 2021 third-round pick by the team, is one of the few draft picks to remain in Minnesota from that draft. After playing just nine games during his rookie season, the Pitt product made a major jump in 2022 by putting together 27 tackles, eight tackles for loss, and four sacks.
However, Jones was unable to replicate that production in 2023. He saw steps backward in his tackles for loss and sack totals this past year despite garnering more than twice as many snaps on defense. He was also graded by PFF as the worst edge rusher in the NFL (min. 500 snaps) with a score of 37.9.
Meanwhile, Carter surprisingly went undrafted last spring out of Army, allowing the Vikings to pick him up as an undrafted free agent. The pass rusher showed a ton of promise during his collegiate career, and he truly exploded onto the scene in 2021. Carter played 12 games for Army that season, and he pressured opposing quarterbacks a whopping 59 times, recording 17 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks.
However, injuries and adjustments from opposing offenses seemed to slow Carter down in 2022. His numbers were slashed down to just 23 pressures over 10 games, and he finished the season with only 4.5 sacks. Still, he is an incredibly long and athletic pass rusher with plenty of promise. Carter played just 68 snaps with the Vikings defense in 2023, but look for that number to go up in 2024.
Pending Free Agents
The Vikings have a number of pending free agents at edge rusher this offseason, and their ultimate landing spots will greatly impact the 2024 offseason for the team. Danielle Hunter may prove to be the most important free agent on the entire team. He single-handedly carried the Vikings pass rush throughout much of the 2023 season, recording a league-leading 23 tackles for loss along with a career-high 16.5 sacks.
Hunter’s partner in crime for much of the year, D.J. Wonnum, is also headed for free agency. While he isn’t quite as productive Hunter, Wonnum has proven to be a very key piece of the Vikings defense in recent years. After being a fourth-round pick in 2020, he has two seasons where he has recorded eight sacks, and he actually paced the entire team in that category during the 2021 season.
Finally, Marcus Davenport could be a sneaky name for Vikings fans to keep an eye on. Of course, the pass rusher missed much of the 2023 season with an ankle injury, playing just four games. However, when he was on the field, Davenport was a rather productive player, recording a pair of sacks and seven total pressures. If the deal is at the right price point, the Vikings very well could bring him back as a depth piece.
Potential Free Agency Targets
Regardless of if any of Davenport, Hunter, and/or Wonnum return in 2024, the Vikings likely will be keeping their eye on the free agency market for additional help off the edge.
One particular player to keep an eye on is Bryce Huff, who our own Kyle Joudry placed at No. 5 on his Vikings free agency big board this week.
Sitting behind a number of strong pass rushers on the New York Jets’ roster, Huff has never really gotten an opportunity to be a true starter at the NFL level. Still, he has proven to be as effective as anybody off the edge.
Despite playing just 42% of New York’s defensive snaps this year and making zero starts, Huff racked up 10 sacks in 2023, which ranked tied for 22nd in the NFL. Huff isn’t a great presence against the run, but as a rotational pass-rusher, the Vikings won’t be able to find many players that are better than Huff.
Additional names to keep an eye on include Josh Uche, Jonathan Greenard, and potentially Chase Young, the former second overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Could the Vikings Target an Edge Rusher in the First Round?
If the Vikings aren’t able to satisfy their edge rushing needs in free agency, they could also turn to the draft for a top tier talent. Don’t expect Dallas Turner to make it to No. 11, but other options include Laiatu Latu, Jared Verse, and Chop Robinson.
For our purposes, we’ll focus on Latu. The first thing that impresses about Latu is his ability to win in multiple ways as a pass rusher. He possesses a sturdy, compact frame that brings a lot of power and athletic ability with it. Even if an opposing offensive lineman is able to counter his first move, Latu simply transitions to a handful of others that he has in his back pocket such as a swim, rip-through, chop.
This attention to detail with his technique allows Latu to win in multiple different situations regardless of if he has leverage advantage or not. He is a very fluid athlete on the line, and he possesses a lightning quick spin move to get by opposing blockers. Some questioned his athletic ability heading into the combine, but he tested near the top of the group and should be solidified as a top tier prospect at the position.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Focus, Pro Football Reference, and Sports Reference CFB.
Pre-Free Agency Vikings Roster Evaluation: Minnesota’s Defensive Line Might Need a Major Revamp
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.