7 reasons why the Vikings shouldn’t panic about Danielle Hunter’s injury

For a while, Ngakoue will be the keynote pass-rusher

Minnesota acquired Yannick Ngakoue via trade in late August from the Jacksonville Jaguars. It was a breathtaking transaction as few, if any, knew the Vikings were actively shopping for another premier defensive end.

And make no mistake, Yannick Ngakoue is a premier defensive end.

He was supposed to immediately form a quarterback-sacking duet with Danielle Hunter, but the Vikings will now just have to wait on that for a bit. However, this should not generate nervousness.

Hunter and Ifeadi Odenigbo were presumed to be Minnesota’s starting defensive ends heading into the 2020 season and not too many pundits saw that as a distressing weakness.

If Minnesota must embark on a stretch where the duo is Ngakoue and Odenigbo rather than Ngakoue and Hunter for a few games, the Vikings are seemingly back to square one. Yes, Hunter is likely a better overall football player than Ngakoue, but the variance here is not a supersized one.

Ngakoue even does some things on the field better than Hunter. For example, Ngakoue has forced 14 fumbles in his 63-game career while Hunter has caused just six fumbles in 78 career games.