Vikings Release Shamar Stephen, Decline to Tender Ifeadi Odenigbo
The Vikings' defensive line is going to look a lot different next season.
Their first big move of free agency was a surprising one, as they signed a second nose tackle in Dalvin Tomlinson. Now, one day later, the two defensive linemen who led the Vikings in snaps last season — Ifeadi Odenigbo and Shamar Stephen — are both on the open market. Stephen was cut, while Odenigbo was a restricted free agent who was non-tendered and now becomes a UFA.
Stephen being released was an expected move. He was seen as a likely cap casualty all offseason long, even before the Vikings signed his replacement. Stephen's release saves $3.75 million in cap space, which will be needed as Minnesota looks to make another move or two in free agency. The seven-year veteran was one of the least productive interior pass rushers in the NFL last season, ranking 52nd out of 53 qualified defensive tackles in PFF's pass rushing productivity metric (ahead of only his teammate Jaleel Johnson). Stephen's skill set as a run-stopper with minimal pass rushing impact was no longer needed after the Tomlinson signing.
The Odenigbo move is the more notable one from a personnel standpoint. The Vikings could've used a $2.1 million tender on him, which wouldn't have prevented another team from giving him an offer sheet, but it would've increased the likelihood that he returned to Minnesota. Instead, they chose not to do so, perhaps hoping to re-sign Odenigbo at a lower price. But this decision opens the door for him to sign elsewhere, which would hurt the Vikings' depth at edge rusher.
Update: Odenigbo said goodbye to Minnesota on Tuesday night. It appears that he'll sign elsewhere in free agency.
It appears that the Vikings chose to prioritize Stephen Weatherly over Odenigbo. Both were rotational pass rushers in 2019 behind Danielle Hunter and Everson Griffen. Weatherly then left to play with the Panthers, got cut this offseason, and recently returned to Minnesota on a one-year, $2.5 million deal. Odenigbo, meanwhile, was thrust into a major role last season because of Hunter's injury, Griffen and Weatherly's departures, and Yannick Ngakoue being traded after six games. He had just 3.5 sacks in what was a disappointing season, but was the fifth-most double-teamed edge rusher in the NFL and still easily led the Vikings with 42 pressures.
If the Vikings end up losing Odenigbo because they chose to keep Weatherly, I think that's a decision they could end up regretting. Odenigbo's pass rushing productivity ranked tied for 55th out of 125 edge rushers with at least 100 pass rushing snaps last season. Weatherly was tied for 118th in his nine games in Carolina. Add in the fact that Odenigbo was the better interior pass rusher in 2019 and I'm not sure I understand the logic here.
It's still possible that Odenigbo could be back at a lower price, but we'll have to wait and see.
As of now, here's what the Vikings' defensive line looks like. Michael Pierce, Tomlinson, Armon Watts, and James Lynch at defensive tackle, with Hunter, Weatherly, D.J. Wonnum, Hercules Mata'afa, Jalyn Holmes, and a couple other young players at defensive end. The Pierce/Tomlinson duo should be incredibly stout against the run, but the Vikings still need to add another starting-caliber pass rusher to pair with Hunter (whose future is uncertain).
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