4 biggest unsung zeros for the Minnesota Vikings in 2021

Dalvin Tomlinson – DT

Defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson was the big free-agent signing the Vikings made in the offseason. He hasn’t come close to living up to the expectations that followed him to Minnesota.

He was supposed to be an elite interior disruptor who could collapse the pocket and stuff the run. His addition to the Vikings’ defensive line has had a very minimal impact, but not much is being talked about it.

Tomlinson’s stats this season are very underwhelming. He’s got just 1.5 sacks and 29 tackles. He doesn’t have a single tackle for a loss and has hit the quarterback just three times. He’s averaging about two and a half tackles a game, and it really shows.

The Vikings’ run defense isn’t much improved over a season ago, and Tomlinson’s addition to the defensive line was supposed to be a fix for that. He’s actually been outplayed by Armon Watts and is on pace for the least productive season of his career.

Despite his lack of impact, Tomlinson isn’t getting a lot of negative buzz about him. He’s actually getting favorable grades from PFF. Maybe he’s doing some great stuff based on their grading spectrum, but his impact during games is hardly felt, and more noise needs to be made about that.