Who will the Minnesota Vikings pick to be a part of their starting defensive line?
Things are going to be different for the Minnesota Vikings on the defensive side of the ball this season. After finding ways to keep the same core of guys together for multiple years, the Vikings finally had to part ways with some longtime members of their defense this offseason.
Among those who departed were Everson Griffen, Linval Joseph, and Stephen Weatherly. Griffen and Joseph played a big part in Minnesota’s defensive line progressing into one of the best in the NFL while Weatherly was one of the team’s key reserves who did a great job whenever his services were needed on the field.
For 2020, the Vikings defensive line is going to be full of youth whether they like it or not (average age of 25-years-old). But this doesn’t mean the group will be lacking experience.
Danielle Hunter is entering his fourth year as one of Minnesota’s starting defensive ends and new defensive tackle Michael Pierce started a total of 30 games during the last four seasons as a member of the Baltimore Ravens.
A number of new faces on the defensive line will be getting a bunch of opportunities for the Vikings in 2020, but the goal of making life miserable for the opposing quarterback will remain the same.
With the regular season currently scheduled to begin in less than two months, how might Minnesota’s defensive line depth chart look when the team steps on the field inside U.S. Bank Stadium for their Week 1 matchup?
Starting Defensive Ends
Danielle Hunter
The best pass rusher on the Vikings roster and one of the best in the entire NFL, it’s a little scary to think that Danielle Hunter is still just 25-years-old. He’s only been with Minnesota for five years and he already has the fifth-most sacks of any player to suit up in purple and gold since the 2000 season.
With Everson Griffen no longer on the roster, it will be interesting to see if the Vikings keep Hunter lining up on the left side or switch him to the right side in Griffen’s old spot. Either way, Minnesota should feel good about their pass rush in 2020 as long as Hunter is in the lineup.
Ifeadi Odenigbo
With Griffen and Stephen Weatherly gone, most are assuming Ifeadi Odenigbo will get his first opportunity to be a full-time starter for the Vikings during the upcoming season. After what Odenigbo did in a reserve role last year, he certainly deserves a shot in the starting lineup.
He was only on the field for 34 percent of Minnesota’s defensive snaps last season and he still managed to rack up a total of seven sacks, 13 quarterback hits, and 18 pressures. With more time on the field in 2020, the Vikings are hoping that it will translate to even more havoc generated by Odenigbo.
Starting Defensive Tackles
Armon Watts
Many will have Shamar Stephen penciled in as the Vikings starting three-technique defensive tackle this season. However, Minnesota should turn to the interior pass rusher with a much higher upside in Armon Watts.
Watts didn’t get a chance to play until Week 10 last year and he remained on the Vikings active roster for the remainder of the regular season. Minnesota should give this 23-year-old defensive tackle a shot to start in 2020 and see if he can be more productive than Stephen was last season (which shouldn’t be hard).
Michael Pierce
The Vikings big free-agent signing of the year is a guy in Michael Pierce who is expected to take over Linval Joseph’s duties as the team’s starting nose tackle.
Pierce has some big shoes to fill (literally), but Minnesota clearly thinks he’s capable of the task since they gave him a fully guaranteed amount of $9 million in the three-year, $27 million contract he signed back in March. Will he make a name for himself in the Twin Cities or will Vikings fans be wondering why the team decided to let Joseph go this offseason?
The Backups
Jaleel Johnson – DT
Hercules Mata’afa – DT
Jalyn Holmes – DT
James Lynch – DL
D.J. Wonnum – DE
Eddie Yarbrough – DE
Minnesota kept a total of 10 defensive linemen last season and they will do the same for 2020. The Vikings will have a good mix of experience and youth with their backup defensive linemen this year.
Jaleel Johnson could be a bubble player, but Minnesota will likely choose to keep him around in the end due to his experience in the scheme. Hercules Mata’afa was basically a rookie last season since he missed all of 2018 with an injury, so one should expect to see him take some more steps in his development this year.
The jury is still out on Jalyn Holmes since he has yet to really impress at any point during his two seasons with the Vikings. He’ll be fighting for playing time with rookie James Lynch who is a versatile lineman that can line up on the inside or the outside.
Minnesota typically keeps at least two backup defensive ends, so they’ll go with rookie D.J. Wonnum on one side and Eddie Yarbrough on the other.
The Rest
Shamar Stephen – DT
David Moa – DT
Stacy Keely – DE
Kenny Willekes – DE
Anthony Zettel – DE
With a cap hit of over $5 million and an underwhelming performance in 2019, there aren’t a ton of convincing reasons for the Vikings to keep Shamar Stephen around for the upcoming season. The impact of COVID-19 pandemic does give some players an edge if they already have experience with a team, but this shouldn’t be enough for Minnesota to keep Stephen on the 2020 roster.
Anthony Zettel seems like someone who could get a shot at a roster spot if someone else gets hurt. He has plenty of in-game NFL experience (16 career starts), but there’s also a reason why he has started a contest since 2017.
If the other three guys (Stacy Keely, David Moa, Kenny Willekes) stick around this year, it will likely be on the Vikings practice squad. Of the three, Willekes seems like he could have the best shot to sneak onto Minnesota’s active roster at some point this season.