Vikings Are Undergoing a Defensive Line Youth Movement
Over recent days, media outlets have leaked details of upcoming moves, suggesting a youth movement on the Vikings’ defensive line in Minnesota. It’s out with the old and potentially in with the new in Minnesota this spring.
Minnesota’s Interior Defensive Front Is Entering a Transition Phase
There have been three significant moves made at the interior defensive line position. Both Jonathan Allen and Javon Harhrave are going to be released just a year on from signing for Minnesota in big-money deals. Hargrave’s release was leaked first, along with veteran RB Aaron Jones, and both were moves I expected. The news regarding Allen came a few days later and was more of a surprise.
It was a big move when the Vikings signed Allen and Hargrave on the same day last March. Both were coming off injury problems, but had been very good players in the league. Surely one of them would recapture their old form? Both were ok but neither got close to being worth the two-year, $30 million (Hargrave) or three-year, $60 million (Allen) contracts they got from Minnesota.
Unless someone comes in with a trade offer, which would be a surprise at this point, their pair will be released, giving the Vikings a combined savings of $17.4 million against this year’s salary cap. Releasing Allen two years early will leave a huge dead cap hit of $17.3 million unless it is designated as a post-Jun 1, where a further saving of $4.7 million can be made, but it still leaves a hefty dead cap hit.
The Emergence of Jalen Redmond
One reason the Vikings can feel comfortable making these moves is the emergence of Jalen Redmond. Undrafted in 2023, Redmond was signed and then discarded by the Carolina Panthers before eventually landing in the XFL. Redmond got a second chance in Minnesota and has never looked back, playing in 30 games, including 17 starts, over the last two seasons.
Redmond comfortably outplayed both Allen and Hargrave, which has led the Vikings to place the exclusive rights tender on him. After a six-sack season in which he showcased his all-around ability, a long contract will soon be on its way.
Soon to be 27, Redmond is suddenly the senior man on the Vikings’ defensive line, alongside Levi Drake-Rodriguez (25), Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins (22), and Elijah Williams (23), making up the rest of the depth chart. All of those are well thought of in Minnesota, but there certainly needs to be someone else added to the mix.
Adding via Free Agency or the Draft?
The question now is, do the Vikings add to the position via free agency or the draft? They probably do both, but my preference would be to add a cheap veteran via free agency – a Jonathan Bullard type – and then go early in the draft. No Jalen Carter or Aaron Donald is screaming to be picked near the top of this year’s draft – the Vikings wouldn’t be in position to get them if they were – but there are some good players.
The big names this year are Caleb Banks, Peter Woods, Kayden McDonald, and Lee Hunter, and they are the big names to look out for early in the draft.
I’m a big fan of Banks and have been banging the support for him as the Vikings pick at 18 – even more so since his impressive display at the NFL Combine. He is the only one of the four I’d take in the first round. If Minnesota goes with a different position on Day 1, then the other three are good options if available on Day 2.
A depth chart that reads Redmond, Banks, Drake-Rodriguez, Ingram-Dawkins, and Williams would signal a significant shift toward a Vikings defensive line youth movement. Depending on the group’s development, it could be an exciting prospect for a group that has been together for a significant amount of time.
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