Vikings Can Immediately Compare Success of Similar EDGE Rushing Talents
When the Minnesota Vikings decided to move on from Danielle Hunter this offseason, they had a handful of EDGE options to consider as his replacement. Ultimately, they chose Johnathan Greenard, who left a Houston Texans team Hunter eventually joined. It makes an immediate comparison possible in year one.
Vikings Can Immediately Compare Success of Similar EDGE Rushing Talents
Danielle Hunter was almost always going to be done with the Minnesota Vikings after posting what was amongst the best seasons of his career. Lining himself up for a substantial payday, there wasn’t much reason to believe the Vikings would be his ultimate suitor. Hunter got a chance to head home and play in Texas, and that was going to be difficult to pass up.
By grabbing Johnathan Greenard, the Vikings are seeking an opportunity to make some of the more appealing advanced metrics in the game work. Greenard has been something of a darling for a while now, and the franchise sees him as someone they can certainly get more out of. That would be a welcomed reality, and unlocking a level of production that Hunter displayed in his final year would be unreal.
It will be interesting to follow and compare the success of Minnesota and Houston’s edge rushing groups. Hunter is paired with a young star in Will Anderson. Greenard will hope to see rookie Dallas Turner amount to the same type of player, and how quickly he can come along in his first season could determine the eventual output for the Vikings pairing.
Brian Flores puts pressure on opposing quarterbacks at a rate most teams don’t dream of. There should be ample opportunity for both Greenard and Turner to pin their ears back and get the opposition. If they can both execute on that gameplan, then they will likely produce at a higher rate than what would have been achieved by keeping around a more expensive version of Hunter.
A learning curve is to be expected from both players. Although Greenard is a veteran, he is acclimating to a new organization and scheme.
Turner has to get up to speed at the highest level, and what length of time that takes remains to be seen. The sooner it happens, the better, and the Vikings’ defense stands to benefit.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes weekly for Twins Daily. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
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