Report: DE George Selvie to Visit Minnesota Vikings
Austin Belisle
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Just days after missing out on free agent Michael Johnson, the Minnesota Vikings may be in the market for another veteran defensive end — former Dallas Cowboy George Selvie.
Per ESPN’s Ben Goessling, Selvie is set to visit the Vikings later this week:
Sounds like #Vikings are indeed getting a visit lined up for George Selvie this week. Would be a good fit at DE, especially against the run.
— Ben Goessling (@GoesslingStrib) March 16, 2015
Selvie started 13 games for the Cowboys in 2014, finishing the season with 3 sacks and 23 tackles. The Cowboys need edge rushers, but Selvie likely won’t return in 2015 — Mike Fisher of 105.3 THE FAN reported early Monday morning that the Cowboys are negotiating a contract with defensive end Greg Hardy’s agent.
As we discussed in our free agency preview, Selvie is better served in a rotational role, but can be productive in certain situations. He’s never going to challenge for the league sack title, but is an above-average run defender and capable backup. According to Goessling and Pro Football Focus, Selvie was the 14th-best 4-3 DE against the run last year:
FWIW, @PFF rated Selvie the 14th-best 4-3 DE in the league against the run last year. Griffen was 9th, Robison 54th, Wootton 55th.
— Ben Goessling (@GoesslingStrib) March 16, 2015
As you can see from the compiled statistics, Selvie was much more effective than Robison in defending the ground game. Robison eclipsed 900 snaps in 2014, and the fatigue began to settle in as the season wore on. At 32 years old, Robison doesn’t have the stamina or ferocity like Everson Griffen to play every snap in a season.
Unlike Michael Johnson, Selvie would come at a relatively low price — his 2014 cap number was just $730,000, versus Johnson’s $9 million price tag.
Zimmer has always been a proponent of rotation along the defensive line, and with veteran Corey Wootton likely gone, Selvie makes the most sense in a depleted free agent market. We’ll continue to update you on any breaking developments surrounding this situation.
Read all of Vikings Territory’s coverage of free agency here.