Vikings See Veteran Pass Rusher Stolen Away from NFL Free Agency
Many believe that the Vikings would do well to add a pass rushing mercenary, a conclusion many accept due to moving on from Jonathan Greenard. If Dante Fowler was on your wish list, then go ahead and work down to Plan B.
The update arrives courtesy of Tom Pelissero of The NFL Network: “Veteran edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. is signing with the Seahawks on a one-year deal worth up to $5 million, per sources. The No. 3 overall pick in the 2015 draft, Fowler is now entering his 12th NFL season.”
The Vikings, The Pass Rush, & A Veteran Gone from FA
The past year has seen the Seattle Seahawks completely eviscerate the Minnesota Vikings. Most obvious, of course, was the Week 13 game where the Vikings decided that playing football was optional. Seattle emerged victorious by a score of 26-0.
But then there’s the other component of things, the more consequential way that the Seahawks have been annihilating the Vikings. Seattle has rallied around a young, hotshot coach to win the Super Bowl. Winning the Lombardi came with Sam Darnold at QB1 and with Klint Kubiak as the OC, both of whom were employed in Minnesota before Minnesota decided to move on from both.
Worse yet, the Seahawks have been conducting a masterclass on team building. Recent years have seen the Seahawks do exceptionally well within the draft. There is no Lombardi, folks, were it not for the contributions of various homegrown talents who were added in recent seasons.
Moreover, there’s something to be said for a team that can add a solid quarterback from within free agency before then rolling out an elite defense to win. The Vikings tried to do that back in 2018 with Kirk Cousins and failed.
All of this isn’t to say that the Vikings should have signed Dante Fowler. Nor, in fact, is the argument that the Fowler deal is definitely going to be a huge success in the Emerald City. Rather, the insistence here is that the Seahawks deserve ample respect. Seeing them make a move involves giving them the benefit of the doubt in a way that the Vikings haven’t earned.
Bringing the discussion closer to home means taking stock of where the Vikings’ pass rushing department stands.
Leaning on a starting duo of Andrew Van Ginkel (a cyborg) and Dallas Turner (so much potential) isn’t a bad spot to be. Seeing these two live up to their ability will mean that Minnesota does well on Sunday, especially if Caleb Banks thrives in his debut NFL season. Employing these two means that there’s no reason to panic.
At minimum, though, there does need to be some urgency to address a twofold issue:
- Pass rushers rotate, so there does need to be capable talent behind the top two. Is the current depth sufficient?
- What happens if the top two underperform and/or get hurt?
Neither of these questions have ironclad solutions. Some of the solution rests in LB Eric Wilson, who can get kicked up to edge rusher. Similarly, Jake Golday — the Vikings’ 2nd-Round selection — is seen as someone who can get shuffled around, playing both off-ball ‘backer and edge rusher.
Still, there’s much to be said for signing someone else, a veteran who can solidify the pass rushing floor as the in-house young lads reach for a high ceiling. Seattle’s decision to pickup Fowler means that there’s one less option to consider.
The Vikings’ cap space is going to get a boost in June due to the post-June 1 cuts for DT Jonathan Allen and S Harrison Smith. Quite possibly, the move will be to wait until then, but the front office may need to jump into the third wave of free agency sooner if more talent gets stolen way.
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