Minnesota’s starting defensive ends combined for 22.5 sacks last season, but only one of those players is still under contract.
Everson Griffen voided his contract with the team, and will enter free agency. Zimmer seems optimistic that the team can re-sign Griffen, but there are also other options to keep an eye on.
Here are some of those options.
The Texans’ D.J. Reader
Reader’s ability to play both defensive tackle and defensive end provides versatility to a team, especially one like the Vikings. Defensive tackle Linval Joseph might be a cap casualty, so the Vikings could use depth at both positions on the defensive line.
Reader might not command as big of a price as edge rushers like Shaquil Barrett, either. Reader had just 2.5 sacks in 2019, but Pro Football Focus thought there was more to his game this season, giving him an 87.6 out of 100.
The Buccaneers’ Jason Pierre-Paul
Pierre-Paul is coming off a year in which he had 8.5 sacks on a team that is in the midst of a rebuild. It seems like Tampa Bay is a few years away from contending. The Buccaneers have a lot of salary cap room, but Barrett is entering free agency, and Over The Cap listed his 2019 valuation at more than $17.7 million.
He could earn even more than that per year in free agency, so maybe Tampa Bay wants to focus on him, and other players, only to let the 32-year-old Pierre-Paul walk. Another factor: Pierre-Paul’s age might make him more inclined to find a contending team in the free agency market. That team could be the Vikings.
