Now that Everson Griffen is gone, the Vikings will have to go on without one of their veteran starters from previous teams.
Danielle Hunter is a starting defensive end, and unexpectedly nothing. Opposite Hunter is an open space, with some likely candidates who can fill the void.
The first to come to mind is Ifeadi Odenigbo. He had seven sacks in limited reps last season. General wisdom would say that giving Odenigbo the reps of a starter would lead to more production.
‘I’m running harder. I think I’m a bit faster, ”Odenigbo told the Star Tribune and other stores. ‘I’m a starter now, more is expected of me. That’s me to the team and to everyone to make sure I play at a high level. ”
And that may still be true, but there’s the problem that Odenigbo has mostly been a pass rusher in the past. It remains to be seen if he can stop the run with a lot of playing time.
There is a strategy that the Vikings could use to have a defensive end with dual threat, and that gives two players a lot of reps on the open defensive end. Jalyn Holmes, who dropped this offseason weight to return to defensive end, was able to split reps with Odenigbo.
Odenigbo has clearly been ready to be the starter, and he can probably play a majority of the time. Holmes would probably be more of a force in the run game. Offensive linemen would have a harder time moving him off the line and out of holes in run situations.
I think if Minnesota wants to be balanced, they need to give a lot of reps to both Odenigbo and Holmes. Indeed, Minnesota still needs Odenigbo to step up and produce. But Holmes would provide an interesting complement and add another dimension to the Vikings’ defensive end position.
.
