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Corey Wootton Says He Didn’t Feel Comfortable In Vikings Defense

By Dan Zinski

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Corey Wootton did not perform particularly well in his one year with the Vikings, finishing with a brutal -14.8 Pro Football Focus grade in 271 defensive snaps.

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One direct result of Wootton’s ineffectiveness was a much higher-than-intended work load for Brian Robison and Everson Griffen. Wootton was supposed to help spell both men, with an assist from rookie Scott Crichton who unfortunately did not contribute, but the starters both ended up topping 900 snaps on the season.

Not what Mike Zimmer had in mind when he acquired Wootton.

So what happened? According to Wootton, the defense was just not a great fit (via Scout.com):

"Now with the Lions, Wootton was asked at a Detroit media session about his one year with the Vikings and he believed he just wasn’t a glove fit, saying, “I can’t put my finger on it. I just didn’t feel as comfortable in the defense. It was a great organization. Zimmer is a great coach. It’s a great staff over there, but I just feel like it didn’t suit me.”"

Did the scheme not suit Wootton or did Wootton simply not pick up the defense well enough? Whatever the explanation, Wootton was largely a non-factor last year and his ineffectual play helped throw off the Vikings’ whole rotation.

This year, Minnesota will again try to lighten the load on all their defensive linemen, particularly the two men on the edges. Scott Crichton is earning good reviews so far in OTAs, and hopefully he’ll be able to develop this year and take some of the burden off the starters.

Rookie Danielle Hunter has a lot of learning to do but if he comes along quickly enough, he could also be in the mix as a rotational end. Former practice squad player Justin Trattou is a sneaky candidate to get in the rotation as well.

Massive DE Caesar Rayford may also get a look before it’s over.

Next: Peterson's rant aimed at union, not Vikings

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