5 free agents the Vikings don’t want to see in the NFC North in 2020
By Nik Edlund
Arik Armstead – DE
It’s never good when elite pass rushers come and join a division rival. The Vikings got a first-hand taste of that a season ago with the Green Bay Packers duo of Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith. These two transformed the Packers defense and gave Minnesota fits both times they faced off in 2019.
When the Bears landed Khalil Mack two years ago, it changed their entire defense and helped them go from worst to first in the NFC North. The Vikings will hope the Lions, Packers, and Bears won’t be doing this again this offseason, but the guy that could land in the division is former 49ers defensive end, Arik Armstead.
Armstead is a beast. He’s coming off a 10 sack season and he seems to have finally figured it all out. He’s got freakish size at 6-foot-7 and 290 pounds. He’s extremely explosive and he can use his tentacle-like arms to create space between him and the man assigned to block him.
One crazy thing about Armstead is that even though he’s been in the NFL for five seasons already, he’s still only 26-years-old. He’s hitting his prime and he will be a dangerous addition to whatever defense is able to secure his services in free agency this offseason.
When Armstead faced the Vikings in the playoffs last season, he had two tackles and a sack. He was constantly in Kirk Cousins‘s face and he was a big reason why Brian O’Neill had his worst game as a pro.
If Chicago landed Armstead in free agency this year, it would be horrifying. Pairing him with Mack would make their defensive line unblockable.
Detroit could also use Armstead and pair him with Trey Flowers. This would give them bookend premier pass rushers and it could have a positive impact on their team the way Mack and the Smiths have had for the Bears and Packers respectively.