Will Everson Griffen be better or worse for the Vikings in 2019?

His best football is behind him

Everson Griffen is entering his 10th season in the league and he will be 31-years-old when the Vikings take the field for Week 1.

He has hit the point in the career of an NFL defenseman when the production typically begins to decline. So maybe his down season in 2018 had less to do with his health and more to do with his age?

Maybe the missed time last season actually didn’t hurt Griffen that much. This guy is a 10-year veteran and he doesn’t need reps in practice every week.

He’s seen pretty much every offense and blocking scheme there is to see. So the experience is definitely there, but his physical skills could be in the beginning phase of failing him because they are aged and overworked from a long career.

There were plenty of times in games during the 2018 season in which Griffen was a little slower off the ball than usual. He also had trouble getting off blocks and he didn’t show the same consistent bend to get around his man.

Griffen is still physically better than 90 percent of the defensive linemen around the NFL. But maybe his pass rushing ability is getting gray and no matter how hard he works or trains, his body just can’t keep up the way it used to.