New Vikings’ Defender Named Bounce-Back Candidate
It’s always a fun exercise to find players who could return to their form of the past, and the Vikings employ some who might have more in the tank than they showed in the 2024 campaign.
PFF’s Dalton Wasserman named one candidate for each team.
Vikings’ Bounce-back Candidate Named
Let’s check his criteria first: “Every team enters the 2025 NFL season with at least one player they’re counting on to rebound after a disappointing 2024, whether due to underperformance, injury or a mix of both. From veterans looking to regain form to young talents aiming to fulfill their potential, here’s one bounce-back candidate for each team ahead of the new season.”
The 2024 Vikings pretty much all performed better than expected, so it is hard to identify a bounce-back player. Perhaps injury is the key to answering the question. T.J. Hockenson missed about half the season and could be an option.
Wasserman targeted an injured star, but he chose a newcomer rather than a returning Viking: Javon Hargrave. The defensive tackle signed with the club in free agency and is asked to provide some interior playmaking.
The PFF analyst wrote: “Hargrave played just 104 snaps in 2024 before a torn triceps sidelined him for the remainder of the season. In the three years prior, he posted a 92.4 pass-rush grade, a 13.2% pressure rate and a 16.6% pass-rush win rate, all of which ranked in the top four among qualified interior defenders over that span. He now joins a Minnesota defensive front that finished 29th in pass-rush grade from interior defenders last season. Hargrave should have plenty of opportunities to make his presence felt in 2025.”
Hargrave, a player who had been durable all his career, played only three games in 2024. In all eight of his previous NFL seasons, Hargrave logged at least 15 games, so it’s easy to see why the Vikings trust him to stay healthy this year.
The defensive lineman signed a two-year deal worth $30 million. After multiple years of underwhelming playmaking ability along the interior defensive line, the Vikings finally addressed the matter and signed not only one but two former Pro Bowlers. Jonathan Allen will join Hargrave in the middle and hopefully provide more pass-rush than the Vikings have had, perhaps since Kevin Williams left over a decade ago.
Hargrave comes to the Twin Cities with a sweet nickname: Gravedigger. It’s a fitting name. Firstly, “Grave” is part of his name, and secondly, he can get after the QB.
Hargrave produced seasons with 52, 57, and 61 QB pressures between 2021 and 2023. Just for context, each of those numbers would’ve ranked him ahead of Andrew Van Ginkel, only behind Jonathan Greenard on the 2024 Vikings.
He has played in 130 career games, tabulating 45.5 sacks and 380 tackles along the way, playing for the Steelers (2016-2019), Eagles (2020-2022), and 49ers (2023-2024). Hargrave is a two-time Pro Bowler.
The lineman is 32 years old, but he was still a game-changer in the 2023 campaign. It remains to be seen how good he is once he returns from his injury, but it’s a reasonable bet to make for Minnesota.
The defense will look a whole lot different with Allen and Hargrave handling the middle of the line with Harrison Phillips. Brian Flores has to be thrilled about his new personnel.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.