Minnesota saw one of its mainstay defensive ends void his contract with the team, then announce he was leaving in free agency.
That player — Everson Griffen — has yet to sign with a team in free agency. Mike Zimmer recently said he would love to have Griffen back.
But what if he didn’t come back? Well, the Vikings still have an adequate replacement on paper: Ifeadi Odenigbo.
Odenigbo, who had seven sacks in a limited role this past season, was listed as Minnesota’s secret weapon by Bleacher Report. Here’s what the outlet said about Odenigbo:
“Odenigbo was picked by the Vikings in the seventh round of the 2017 draft. However, he landed on the practice squad and was waived before he joined the Cleveland Browns and then the Arizona Cardinals. He appeared in just one game for Arizona before he was waived and signed again by Minnesota to the practice squad. The Vikings brought him back on a futures contract last January, and Odenigbo rewarded them with big-time production.”
If Odenigbo raises his production level as his reps increase, then the Vikings will have developed a player who’s good enough to start and thrive at the NFL level.
