Minnesota Vikings Training Camp 2019: Previewing the linebackers

Starting Linebacker: Anthony Barr

Last season was an eventful one for Anthony Barr as it started out as a quest to get a new contract. With Barr wanting edge defender money and the Vikings wanting to pay him as a linebacker, it seemed certain that Barr would be leaving the Vikings at the end of 2018.

In fact, he basically did leave after agreeing to a contract with the New York Jets, but had a change of heart and decided to stay in Minnesota on a five-year, $67.5 million deal. With the Vikings having more glaring needs on the team (Hello, offensive line!) many were surprised that Minnesota moved enough money around to keep Barr in purple. However, there are several good things that Barr brings to the team that are not easy to replace.

The biggest advantage that Barr had over anyone on the current roster (and in the free-agent market) was his ability to rush the passer. That statement seems laughable when considering that Barr had just three sacks last season and 13.5 during his five-year career, but a deeper dive reveals that Barr is a force even when he’s not bringing the quarterback down.

According to Pro Football Focus, Barr ranked first among linebackers (with a minimum of 20% pass-rushing snaps) with a pass-rushing productivity rating of 13.8. The rating measures snaps per pressure created which Barr did frequently ranking fifth among linebackers with 19 hurries and 23 pressures.

If Barr is so good rushing the passer, it’s a fair question to wonder if the Vikings staff was rushing him enough as he ranked 13th among linebackers in pass-rushing attempts. Minnesota has made an emphasis of sending Barr more in the past, but it’s never seemed to come to fruition as he hasn’t eclipsed four sacks in a season since his rookie year in 2014.

Also in Barr’s corner was his ability in coverage. Barr recorded the second-lowest yards per coverage snap among linebackers at 0.59 and owned the second-highest snaps per reception mark at 16.4. Quarterbacks also made it a point to challenge Barr, as his coverage snaps per target checked in at 11.8, the third-highest mark in the league.

So if Barr was so good in coverage, why were fans so upset with him throughout the course of the year? The answer was because of a bad two-week stretch where Josh Allen literally jumped over him during a home loss to Buffalo in Week 3 and he allowed two touchdowns (including a coaching gaffe that had him lined up on Robert Woods) in a loss to the Los Angeles Rams the following week.

It’s those type of moments like which make you wonder if the coaching staff is doing its best job to allow Barr to succeed. Time will tell if Barr’s new contract will earn him an increased role when rushing the passer, but as a solid all-around player, it appears the Vikings have made the right move in bringing him back.