Second-Year Linebacker Listed as Vikings' 'Best-Kept Secret' On Roster
Who is the best-kept secret on the Vikings' roster?
Bleacher Report's Alex Ballentine recently chose one for every NFL team, using the following criteria: No Pro Bowl or All-Pro players, no former first-round picks, and no rookies. His pick for the Vikings: second-year linebacker Brian Asamoah.
When the Minnesota Vikings released Eric Kendricks in March it didn't just clear $10 million in cap space, it cleared the path of Brian Asamoah to take on a much larger role in the Vikings defense in 2023. Asamoah was largely a special teamer in his rookie season. The third-round pick didn't really get to play a role on defense until about Week 15 when he logged 21 snaps and played over 25 snaps in the next two games. In that small three-game sample size he registered 14 total tackles, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He missed just one tackle. The Vikings obviously have some faith that Asamoah will be able to step into a starting role this season. They released Kendricks and only signed Troy Reeder, a soon-to-be 29-year-old who was a reserve linebacker for the Chargers last year, to replace him. Asamoah is going to get every opportunity to take a starting role, and he flashed the ability to be an asset for the Vikings defense last season.
It's an understandable selection. Even though Asamoah hasn't had much of an opportunity to prove himself, he showed major flashes during last year's preseason and then did so again down the stretch of the regular season. The 2022 third-round pick out of Oklahoma is a phenomenal athlete who has the quickness and instincts to fly to the football and make plays.
After playing a total of 121 defensive snaps in his first regular season, Asamoah is in line to compete for a starting job now that Eric Kendricks plays for the Chargers. The Vikings releasing Kendricks and only signing Reeder shows the belief they have in their young linebacker.
Using Balletine's criteria for a team's best-kept secret, Asamoah is a strong pick. It wouldn't surprise me at all to see him earn the starting job next to Jordan Hicks and have a strong season under defensive coordinator Brian Flores. A few other names I might've considered: Byron Murphy Jr., Harrison Phillips, Akayleb Evans, K.J. Osborn, Alexander Mattison, and Ryan Wright.
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