Vikings' Off-Ball Linebacker Unit Ranked Near Bottom of NFL

This season, for the first time since 2014, the Vikings' linebacker unit won't be led by Eric Kendricks. The UCLA product logged over 750 snaps for Minnesota's defense in eight straight seasons — and over 1,000 in each of the last two — but he's back home with the Chargers now after being released for cap reasons in March.

The Vikings' off-ball linebacker group has an interesting mix of experienced veterans and promising young talent, but it also lacks star power and has a lot to prove. In Pro Football Focus's recent LB unit rankings, the Vikings checked in near the bottom of the league at 27th.

Eric Kendricks and Jordan Hicks played the vast majority of snaps for a unit — and team — that excelled against the run and struggled to cover. Kendricks left for Los Angeles, and Hicks remained in Minnesota.

Hicks’ 80.2 run-defense grade was a career-high mark, but it seems certain he won’t regain the coverage prowess he possessed in his early days in Philadelphia.

Brian Asamoah is the most likely partner for Hicks at this point. He played well in his small sample of 121 snaps last season, but his 78.8 grade is buoyed in part by one excellent game against the Giants. Troy Reeder also stands by as a veteran option. Right now, the Vikings are looking at Jordan Hicks and an open tryout for the other starting spot.

Ninth-year veteran Jordan Hicks (106 career starts) is the one unquestioned starter at the position after a solid first season in Minnesota. He played in every game and racked up 129 tackles, three sacks, and ten passes defended in the regular season. As the PFF blurb mentions, Hicks was better in run defense than he was in coverage. It'll be interesting to see how his responsibilities and production change in a new defensive scheme under Brian Flores.

With Kendricks gone, the opportunity exists for 2022 third-round pick Brian Asamoah to earn a starting job alongside Hicks. The ultra-athletic 23-year-old showed major flashes in his 121 defensive snaps last season, highlighted by a strip and fumble recovery against Giants TE Daniel Bellinger on Christmas Eve. Asamoah split time with the first and second units during OTAs and minicamp, but he'll have every chance to earn a starting job over the course of training camp. His athleticism is undeniable; it's a question of mastering the mental and technical elements of playing linebacker.

The bar Asamoah has to clear to be an every-down player is veteran Troy Reeder, who signed a one-year deal for just over $1.2 million in free agency. Reeder, 28, had 25 starts in three seasons with the Rams before playing mostly on special teams with the Chargers last season. His PFF marks were not great during his Rams tenure, so it would be a bit concerning if Asamoah is unable to beat him out.

Further down the depth chart, the Vikings have Troy Dye, William Kwenkeu, and undrafted rookies Ivan Pace Jr., Wilson Huber, and Abraham Beauplan. Pace, a unanimous All-American at Cincinnati last season, is someone to keep an eye on. He's undersized but is a fiery playmaker who was viewed by some analysts as one of the best players to go undrafted this year.

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