Vikings Could Target Veteran DE via Free Agency
Dustin Baker
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The Minnesota Vikings spent three of their first four picks in the 2021 NFL Draft on offensive players — an oddity for a team coached by Mike Zimmer.
Zimmer is notorious for captaining a defense-first or defense-always operation.
There was a relatively pressing need for an EDGE rusher to join the roster, but general manager Rick Spielman preached offense, offense, and more offense early in the draft. However, the Vikings did choose defensive ends Patrick Jones II from Pittsburgh and Janarius Robinson from Florida State after the offensive wave.
Therefore, Minnesota probably needs a veteran EDGE rusher for the 2021 squad — if it does not fully trust the conglomeration of Stephen Weatherly, D.J. Wonnum, Jalyn Holmes, Kenny Willekes, and rookies Jones and Robinson. According to KSTP‘s Darren Wolfson, an important name to monitor is Ryan Kerrigan from the Washington Football Team.
Kerrigan, a Pro Bowl EDGE rusher, is an available free agent. His entire career has transpired in the nation’s capital, and he’s likely looking for a team to begin his second act.
At age 32, Kerrigan probably has some quarterback terrorism left in the tank — although his role was diminished in Washington with the rise of Montez Sweat and Chase Young. The Purdue alumnus routinely played 75% or more of all defensive snaps in a season throughout his career, but that dipped to a measly 38% in 2020 after his starting gig was stripped.
Since his entry into the NFL via 1st-Round pick by Washington, Kerrigan ranks fifth in the NFL in sacks (95.5 sacks) only topped by Von Miller (106.0), J.J. Watt (101.0), Justin Houston (97.5), and Chandler Jones (97.0). It should be noted, too, that Houston is a free agent as well.
Kerrigan to the Vikings would entail a reunion with quarterback Kirk Cousins. The EDGE rusher had a front-row seat to Cousins’ rise to stardom, blossoming his reputation while Cousins was working to overthrow Robert Griffin III for the QB1 title. Cousins succeeded — and then joined the Vikings about three years later.
In January, FanDuel.com plopped the Vikings on a shortlist of teams that would target Kerrigan in free agency. No team has inked him as of yet, but “FairwayJay” of FanDuel said about Kerrigan to Minnesota, “Kerrigan could be a fit and improve the Vikings No. 30 ranked pass rush win rate (36%) according to ESPN player tracking data from NFL Next Gen Stats.”
Kerrigan would serve in a couple of capacities for the Vikings. If he can replicate his 2011-2018 antics, well, boom — he’s a replacement for Everson Griffen, who departed Minnesota in the spring of 2020 for Dallas and then Detroit. He would also add a little “insurance” for Danielle Hunter’s return to football. Hunter missed all of 2020 due to a neck injury. Most optimists merely assume that the “old” Hunter will be ready for September. But in the event his ability is hampered or diminished, a vintage version of Kerrigan would not hurt to mitigate that hypothetical doomsday scenario.
If it is not Kerrigan, other EDGE rushers remain available. In addition to Justin Houston (and Kerrigan), Melvin Ingram, Ronald Blair, Everson Griffen, and Bruce Irvin are unsigned free agents.