Eric Kendricks quietly leading the Vikings’ defense in 2018

The Minnesota Vikings linebacker has played a key part in the defense’s improvement out on the field over the last couple of weeks.

Heading into the 2018 offseason, the Minnesota Vikings knew they had a group of talented young players with their contracts nearing the end. Anthony Barr, Danielle Hunter, Eric Kendricks, and Stefon Diggs were all scheduled to become free-agents in 2019.

In a bit of a surprise move, Kendricks was the first of the four players to agree to a new deal with the Vikings this year. Minnesota gave the young linebacker a five-year contract extension worth $50 million.

When the terms of the deal were first released, there were some who wondered why the Vikings decided to extend Kendricks before Barr, Diggs, or Hunter. But the 26-year-old linebacker has been one of the backbones for Minnesota’s defense ever since he was drafted in 2015.

Since his rookie season (when he only started 11 games), Kendricks has led the Vikings in tackles in each of his first three years as a member of the Vikings’ defense. He essentially plays the role as Minnesota’s middle linebacker despite the defense lining up in a nickel formation more often than not.

This season has been more of the same for Kendricks. Through six games, he leads all Vikings defenders with 37 total tackles. Kendricks’ 13 defensive stops so far this year are also tied for the team lead.

The linebacker has never really been the type of player to consistently make the more noticeable splash plays during his time with Minnesota. Yes, he has had a pair of pick-sixes in his NFL career, but Kendricks’ consistencies on the field are more related to his tackling skills.

The Vikings have been dealing with some injuries on the defensive side of the ball recently. However, the core of Minnesota’s defense has still been able to get the job done with guys like Harrison Smith, Xavier Rhodes, and Kendricks out on the field.

Kendricks’ importance to the Vikings success may be easy to look over. But everyone’s job on Minnesota’s defense would become much, much harder without their talented linebacker on the field each week.

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