The Vikings Are Getting Funky with D.J. Wonnum

  |  
Aug 8, 2021
tough end
Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Anthony Barr was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 2014 as the first pick of the Mike Zimmer era. Because of his size and scouting report at the time, many onlookers of the team believed he could act as an EDGE linebacker in spots.

So, annually around this time, folks envision “this will be the year” that Zimmer finally uses Barr more in a pass-rushing capacity. During the season opener in 2019 versus the Atlanta Falcons, Barr burst through the offensive line, sacking Matt Ryan on the first defensive drive of the season. The prophecy was finally fulfilled.

But that was an outlier. Barr returned to normative strongside linebacking duties, and the Ryan sack was just a neat play.

Now, with a different player, this fantasy might come true — just with a bit of a reversal. D.J. Wonnum was drafted in the 4th Round of the 2020 NFL Draft from the University of South Carolina. He was the guy that terrorized and strip-sacked Aaron Rodgers at Lambeau Field, securing the win for the Vikings while beginning to dig the team out of a 1-5 rut.

Wonnum was drafted as a defensive end, designed to rush the passer like Danielle Hunter or Everson Griffen. He’s not a linebacker; Barr is. But during the Vikings 2021 training camp, Zimmer and co-defensive coordinator Andre Patterson are experimenting with Wonnum. The 23-year-old is blitzing as a linebacker.

This is noteworthy because Zimmer is a 4-3 scheme savant. Zimmer is certainly not opposed to creativity — the New Orleans Saints can tell you all about it from the 2019 playoff game — but dropping a 4-3 defensive end into a linebacker role is somewhat new for this brand of Vikings.

Zimmer used Wonnum again in this vein the following day at camp:

All of this with Wonnum could feasibly be Zimmer toying around with a versatile athlete, but Minnesota not signing an additional EDGE rusher this summer — cap space is available for it — might signal a shift in philosophy, if only for a few times per game.

VikingsTerritory‘s Rick Sosa described the scheme as a 3-4ish look:

More evidence on the creative usage of Wonnum was on display at the Vikings first-ever summer scrimmage at U.S. Bank Stadium this weekend. Again, Wonnum was out in open space, making the best of an assignment with a pick-six off a strange throw by the famously-vaccinated, Jake Browning.

Currently on the other side of the Vikings defensive line opposite Danielle Hunter, a few men are vying for the starting job. Wonnum, Stephen Weatherly, and Patrick Jones II are the suitors. In a bit of a surprise, Wonnum is separating himself for the battle — and it could be in a Swiss army knife role as seen in training camp.

Several pass rushers like Melvin Ingram and Justin Houston were available for the Vikings attention earlier this summer in free agency, yet general manager Rick Spielman stayed put with his pass rushers on the roster. It now seems there is good reason for this — Spielman and Zimmer like the guys they have.

Assuredly, there is no requirement to, for instance, pick Weatherly and stick with him as the season-long defensive end. Zimmer might use all three men — Wonnum, Weatherly, Jones.

And if there is an appetite for this 3-4 teaser, well, the Vikings signed Sheldon Richardson in June, so he could outfit a front three of Hunter, Michael Pierce, and Richardson, designating Wonnum for the newfound hybrid duty.

No matter what happens, the Vikings must improve the pass rush. It was last in the NFL during 2020 per Pro Football Focus. If that mandates a little 3-4 sprinkled onto Sunday dealings, so be it.

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