Minnesota has often employed a nickel defense in the past, but what will the team do after losing a good number of cornerbacks?
Trae Waynes, Xavier Rhodes and Mackensie Alexander are all gone. Alexander was the team’s nickel corner in 2019, helping the Vikings play that package and utilize two linebackers.
This is where the linebacker position comes in. The two linebackers on the field in Minnesota’s nickel formation were typically Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr. Now, if Minnesota uses the nickel as much as it has in the past, more will be asked of Barr and Kendricks in coverage, because the cornerback group is so young.
There’s also another point that has to be considered with the defense: What if the Vikings start using the 4-3 base more than the nickel? If cornerbacks Jeff Gladney and Cameron Dantzler struggle out of the gate, I could see the team using a system that fits its personnel rather than force players, not yet ready for the NFL, onto the field. That system could be a 4-3, with three linebackers.
Here are three storylines surrounding the linebacking corps:
Who’s the third linebacker?
Sure, Kendricks and Barr are both starters, but who will the third linebacker be when the Vikings employ a 4-3 at least occasionally in 2020?
The most enticing choice is Troy Dye, the rookie out of Oregon, though he might be more of a special teams player.
I’d say Eric Wilson is the most likely candidate to take the third linebacker spot, with Ben Gedeon also being an option.
Can Kendricks take another leap?
The Vikings defense is younger than before and it’s possible that more will be asked of Kendricks because of it.
He is coming off a year where he garnered a 90 rating from PFF when it came to pass coverage as a linebacker, in addition to the outlet awarding him most-improved Minnesota player for 2019.
With a young cornerback group, Kendricks will have to drop back and cover with the same success that he had last season, or else the defense could take a step back.
Will Anthony Barr start improving?
Barr was picked by the Vikings in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, and he lived up to the hype in his first season.
Barr had four sacks, three pass deflections, two forced fumbles, a defensive touchdown, 55 solo tackles and six tackles for loss. He also only played in just 12 games.
Barr plays a role where he’s oftentimes dropping back into coverage or he’s stopping the run. He’s not really a Khalil Mack type linebacker who’s going to get a lot of sacks. So in this case, I think it helps to look at Pro Football Focus to see how he has graded out recently.
In 2015, Barr built off his rookie year and finished with a PFF grade of 89.6 out of 100. He was the second-best linebacker in terms of his score.
He came back in 2016 and Pro Football Focus gave him a grade of 50.5. That’s a pretty big drop off from an outlet that seemed to think highly of Barr. It also showed in the stat sheet. Barr had two sacks, 37 solo tackles and three tackles for a loss that year. Granted he did have more pass deflections with four, but PFF did not think highly of his overall play.
In 2017, he earned a grade of 63.7. Then, the following year, he earned a 71.4, slowly making his way back to his production earlier on. In 2019, he took a step back, earning a 60.6.
To be fair, Pro Football Focus’ grade system isn’t perfect. And Barr’s 2019 stats were better than his 2018 totals in certain areas: quarterback hits, tackles and pass deflections most notably.
But it’s safe to say that many people expected Barr to be better than he has been this past season.
It’s hard to say who the Vikings will be getting in 2020, the Barr they drafted or the player he’s slowly become.
