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

Weatherly’s emergence

Stephen Weatherly was mentioned before as a reason for why Everson Griffen could be better in 2019. It makes sense, as a pass rushing rotation would help keep Griffen fresher in games for a longer period of time.

But what if Weatherly’s presence actually has a negative effect on Griffen’s performance in 2019 instead?

There is no beating around the bush, Weatherly came into his own in 2018. During six starts in Griffen’s absence, Weatherly posted 20 tackles and two sacks. He was clearly a stronger run defender, but he was consistently in the opposing backfield as well last year.

What if Weatherly continues to develop in 2019? What if he isn’t just part of a rotation with Everson, but he evolves to the point where he becomes a better player than the 31-year-old veteran?

Weatherly could go from seeing a third of the snaps to half, to even three-quarters of them if he takes another step forward. If he can improve his pass rushing skills, this could actually be a reality in 2019. The guy is only 25-years-old and entering his fourth season in the NFL.

He could definitely figure things out and push Griffen for his job. This would relegate Griffen to the bench and his overall production would be even worse than what it was in 2018.