Vikings free agent signing already 'in jeopardy' of losing job after NFL Draft?

They say that you can never have too much edge rushing depth. Especially with how pass happy the NFL has gotten in recent years, teams trip over themselves trying to get an elite player or two on the edge, because otherwise you're going to have some random backup from Northwestern throw for 380 yards on you in a panic-inducing home loss.

The Vikings have done an admirable job bolstering their pass rush this offseason, especially considering the loss of star pass rusher Danielle Hunter, who signed with the Texans for big money back in March. They've made a few good signings, drafted a few potential stars, and generally emphasized the position in a way that makes a ton of sense. But is one of their recent signings already in danger of losing their job?! Without ever playing a snap yet?! And is this something that totally doesn't need to be worried about even though Vikings fans absolutely still will?! According to Bleacher Report, the answer – to the first two, at least – is a resounding yes.

Vikings FA signing already in jeopardy of losing job after NFL Draft?

The spicy take comes from BR's recent article, titled "8 NFL Starters Whose Jobs Are in Jeopardy After the 2024 NFL Draft." Among those eight starters, BR identifies new Vikings' edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel as a guy who, despite having not played a snap with his new team yet, may have already lost their job. They said the same thing about Sam Darnold as well, so it's shaping up to be a very weird training camp in Minnesota.

As for Ginkel, here's a bit of their reasoning:

When Van Ginkel signed with the Minnesota Vikings in free agency, it appeared that the 28-year-old was going to get an opportunity to be a full-time starter. The Vikes had added Jonathan Greenard, but the loss of Danielle Hunter and D.J. Wonnum left edge-rusher as a major question mark in Minnesota ... Van Ginkel is a hard-nosed grinder, but he doesn't have Turner's raw talent—and by Week 1 he'll likely be relegated to a complementary role.

My guess is that Brian Flores doesn't even remotely share these concerns, but it is true that the optics of signing some big time pass rushing free agents – only to turn around and trade up a second time for one of the draft's best edge prospects – looks a little odd. If I was Van Ginkel, I'd probably agree with Bleacher Report a little bit. It's a good problem to have though, and I'd imagine Van Ginkel still finds a role in Minnesota's defense that works for him.

The good news is that if Bleacher Report is right, and Van Ginkel does indeed lose his starting job before Week 1, that means that Dallas Turner is the real deal. There are worse problems to have. Like, for instance, deciding how long to start Sam Darnold.

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