5 Vikings who could be entering their final season with the team
By Nik Edlund
Jaleel Johnson – DT
Johnson is a guy who the Vikings have been waiting to breakout since they drafted him in 2017. He was a fourth-round pick and this big dude just hasn’t been able to get onto the field on a consistent basis yet.
Johnson has had some impressive moments in the preseason and he’s showed flashes of the type of player he can be. The problem is that when it counts in the regular season, he disappears. It’s a bit mind-boggling as this guy is as Mike Zimmer once described as a, “bull in a china shop“.
Johnson’s career stats are very underwhelming. He’s started one game in two seasons and appeared in a total of 21 contests. He has tallied 14 career tackles and just half a sack. That is a terrible two-year return on a fourth-round pick.
Obviously, it’s hard to get on the field when you are playing behind guys like Linval Joseph and Sheldon Richardson, but Johnson did get chances last season and he failed to capitalize. With Shamar Stephen back and rookie Armon Watts in the mix, Johnson’s time with the team could be in jeopardy.
He’s no lock to make the final 53-man roster this year. Even if he does and he fails to produce again during the upcoming season, he could be looking for a new home in 2020.