Purple Pass Rush Adds Oomph with Vikings Signing
The pass rush has been the subject of some discussion lately, mostly due to the rumors swirling around Jonathan Greenard alongside the lucrative extension for Danielle Hunter.
Within the chatter has been a more subtle decision: retaining depth edge rusher Bo Richter. Adam Schefter, the NFL insider who does his work for ESPN, offered the quick update: “Vikings tendered exclusive rights free agent LB Bo Richter.”
Purple Pass Rush Gets a Boost with Bo Richter Deal
Prior to the Richter news, the Vikings’ edge rusher department consisted of Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Dallas Turner. Not too bad, all things considered, but in need of enhancements. Preferably, the additions would come cheap.
Bo Richter is precisely that.
The 25-year-old defender has worked through a pair of NFL seasons. At 6’1″ and 248 pounds, Richter is built like a sturdy off-ball linebacker but he’s tasked with playing along the edge. Most of the time, Richter is helping Matt Daniels on specials, but there have occasionally been some snaps on defense.
Effort and physicality are his thing. Consider what was said about him rolling into his draft year.
The assessment from Lance Zierlein: “Richter is an undersized edge defender with short arms, but his athletic profile gives him a chance to compete for a roster spot. He has muscles on muscles and a strong base that allows him to play through edges and maintain balance at contact. He also has plus pursuit speed and racked up impact stats on the other side of the line. His rush is more effort-based than skilled, and that production might not translate as a pro. However, his pro day testing was terrific, and he plays with a nice GPS toward the ball. Richter might need to prove he can play off-ball linebacker, but his traits and special-teams potential should help his chances.”
Much to like within that assessment.
Think of Richter as being akin to tough, gritty 4th-line forward in hockey. Looking for someone who can score 30 goals means being disappointed. Looking for someone who can play with physicality while chipping in in ways that don’t always show up in the normal stats is where Richter can shine.
As a rookie, Bo Richter played 29 snaps on defense and 267 on specials. His sophomore season involved 52 snaps on defense and 372 snaps on specials. Look for those trends to continue — modest playing time for Coach Flores but being a key piece of the effort for Coach Daniels.
For whatever it’s worth, the grades have been reasonably positive. Richter earned a 72.1 grade in 2024 before finishing off with a 61.1 grade as a sophomore. Small sample, but still positive.
Getting him to the Twin Cities in the first place involved sending over $15,000 in guaranteed cash. That’s a modest amount, even within the world of UDFA finances. Richter, in other words, has earned his chances with the Vikings. His story has been one of scraping, clawing, and overcoming long odds.
The Vikings’ pass rush isn’t a finished product. Keeping Mr. Richter is a nice move, a low-risk, low-cost decision that helps with the continuity and performance on defense and specials. Adding a high-end player, though, could really push the Vikings over the top.
Free agency gets rolling on Monday, March 9th.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
