Minnesota went through a pretty big overhaul of its roster this offseason. ESPN’s Courtney Cronin analyzed each position group on defense, debating whether the Vikings upgraded there, downgraded there or stayed the same.
For the defensive line, Cronin said that the group would be worse than before. Here’s what she wrote:
“The Vikings are winning the numbers game at defensive tackle. It’s different at defensive end given (Ifeadi) Odenigbo is set to become a starter (assuming (Everson) Griffen doesn’t return at the last second — don’t rule out the possibility) and there’s little depth. (Andre) Patterson will spend much of this season developing rotational edge rushers in (D. J.) Wonnum and (Kenny) Willekes. (Eddie) Yarbrough and (Anthony) Zettel could also fill out those roles.”
It makes sense how the defensive line corps could get worse, considering how big of a loss Griffen could be. The Vikings also saw free agency losses at cornerback, but Cronin actually thinks that the position group could get better.
“The Vikings are starting from scratch and will have new starters at every spot. This unit won’t resemble a finished product in 2020, but is in good shape for the future.”
