Vikings Host Defensive Linemen Breeland Speaks, Abdullah Anderson for Visits

The Vikings could potentially bring in some competition up front.

The Vikings hosted a pair of defensive linemen for visits on Wednesday, according to the NFL's transaction wire. They brought in Breeland Speaks, who was a second-round pick just two years ago, and former Bears UDFA Abdullah Anderson.

Speaks is the more notable name here, so let's start with him. After recording seven sacks as a junior and posting impressive numbers at the combine, the Ole Miss product was selected by the Chiefs with the 46th overall pick. Unfortunately, his career in Kansas City didn't pan out like they were imagining.

As a rookie, Speaks played in all 16 games (with four starts) and played fairly well, recording 24 tackles, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, eight QB hits, and 22 total pressures. He received a 57.8 PFF grade on 475 snaps, which is solid for a rookie.

It was in 2019 where things went downhill. He suffered a major knee injury in the second preseason game, underwent surgery for a torn MCL and meniscus damage, and was placed on injured reserve, ending his season. In December, while on IR, Speaks was hit with a four-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

Speaks was waived by the Chiefs this offseason in final cuts. Still, it could make sense for the Vikings to give the former second-round pick a look. At 6'3", 285 pounds, he's a bit of a hybrid defensive tackle/defensive end. Speaks has good athleticism for his size, though it's unclear how much of that has been sapped by the knee injury.

As for Anderson, he was signed by the Bears after going undrafted out of Bucknell in 2018. He spent most of the past two seasons on Chicago's practice squad, but was elevated to the active roster multiple times and ended up playing in six regular-season games. Anderson played just over 100 defensive snaps and posted four tackles, one sack, and six pressures. He's more of a true three-technique than Speaks, measuring 6'3" and 297 pounds.

Both Speaks and Anderson are listed as defensive ends, but their weights suggest they're better suited to play defensive tackle. The Vikings explored adding depth at DT earlier in camp by trading for P.J. Hall, except the deal was reverted when he failed a physical. The Vikings could potentially look to add one of these guys to the active roster or practice squad for depth purposes.

It's highly unlikely that this means anything when it comes to the chances of getting Danielle Hunter back from IR after two more games. Instead, it could indicate that the Vikings weren't thrilled with what they saw from players like Jaleel Johnson, Jalyn Holmes, and Eddie Yarbrough against the Packers.

Defensive tackle Albert Huggins is currently the only defensive lineman on the Vikings' practice squad.

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