How Ifeadi Odenigbo can make Vikings forget about Everson Griffen

How will the Minnesota Vikings fill Everson Griffen’s shoes?

Everson Griffen played more games for the Minnesota Vikings than Adrian Peterson, Randy Moss, Jake Reed, Anthony Carter, Karl Kassulke, and Tommy Kramer, to name a handful. In totality, Griffen has debatably been the best Vikings player on the team since Mike Zimmer took over as the head coach in 2014, although safety Harrison Smith would vociferously disagree.

Griffen’s tenure with Minnesota ended last January in a playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers. He departs as the holder of the fourth-most sacks in Vikings history since 1982.

This now leaves tight end Kyle Rudolph as Minnesota’s longest-serving player and an enormous hole to fill on the defensive line.

In 2019, Ifeadi Odenigbo, a seventh-round pick by the Vikings in the 2017 NFL Draft, carved out ample playing time for himself. He did not disappoint. With Griffen’s exit, Odenigbo is presumably the suitor for the other starting defensive end position to go along with Danielle Hunter.

Griffen has reportedly signed on with the Dallas Cowboys, a team already beholding of a star-studded defensive line.

So the Everson Griffen era in Minnesota is over now. How can Odenigbo replace the longtime Vikings pass rusher? Let’s find out.