The Vikings are Shifting the Spotlight onto Cluster of Unproven Young Fellas at 1 Spot
Gone is Jonathan Greenard, a decision that means Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner are more important than ever. Who is behind those two when another edge rusher is needed?
The Vikings haven’t yet brought anyone aboard to fully solidify the EDGE3 job. Turner had been occupying that third spot, but he has been shifted up due to the aforementioned trade. Minnesota is now leaning on a cluster of young, unproven young fellas — Bo Richter, Tyler Batty, and others — to solidify the edge rusher depth.
The Vikings Shift Spotlight Onto Young Edge Rushers
Based just on the amount of players on the roster, there’s little reason for concern. The final roster will see somewhere between four-to-six edge rushers kept. Consider who is currently in the running:
- EDGE1 Andrew Van Ginkel
- EDGE2 Dallas Turner
- EDGE3 Bo Richter
- EDGE4 Tyler Batty
- EDGE5 Chaz Chambliss
- EDGE6 Cam’Ron Stewart
- EDGE7 Jordan Botelho
- EDGE8 Arden Walker
Don’t fret if you’re not familiar with those final three names; after all, they all belong to UDFA rookies. On an annual basis, the Vikings carve out room for at least a single undrafted edge rusher. Seeing the trend continue into 2026 won’t be surprising, but learning more about the guarantees within their contracts alongside being able to evaluate how they play will be key to making a guess for who sticks around.
The next three names — Chambliss, Batty, and Richter — belong to young lads who were undrafted, as well. Setting them apart is that they’re all returning talents.
At this stage, Mr. Richter looks like a good bet to make the team. He doesn’t boast ideal length for the position but he’s a rugged lineman who plays with very good effort. At minimum, he’s a beast on specials who can continue working toward snaps at edge rusher.
Likewise, there’s much to like in Mr. Batty, who is a mammoth of an edge rusher at 6’6″ and 270 pounds. Offering that huge build means he should be sturdy in run defense while boasting the flexibility to get kicked inside to 3 technique for passing downs.
Chambliss, meanwhile, looks more like an off-ball linebacker due to being a bit smaller. He’s coming out of a major college program and is akin to a gritty 4th-line forward in hockey.
At least online, there has been some purple dot connecting about attracting more talent. Speculation has hovered around options such as Jadeveon Clowney, Leonard Floyd, and Cameron Jordan (among others). Opting for a veteran would be about solidifying the floor. Indeed, an assassin-for-hire means feeling confident in that EDGE3 spot for obvious passing downs and/or if injury strikes.
Otherwise, it’s worth remembering that off-ball linebackers Eric Wilson and Jake Golday are capable of moving up to edge rusher. Brian Flores has never felt constrained by a player’s official job title, instead leaning into the versatility that’s offered by his personnel. If a linebacker can player edge rusher, Flores is happy to allow that player to do so.
Even with the flexibility of some of these players, the Vikings are nevertheless shifting the spotlight onto a collection of undrafted edge rushers.
All of the listed players from Richter downward are defenders who didn’t get scooped up in their draft years; the distinguishing detail is that one is a third-year player (Richter), a pair will be sophomores (Batty and Chambliss), and then a trio are rookies (Stewart, Botelho, and Walker).
Seeing at least one of these young lads exceed expectations would make a world of difference at a position that’s suddenly shaky after the Greenard deal.
