We're about to find out who can play

With injuries piling up, Vikings will be able to find out which players they can go forward with

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Going into the 2020 season the Minnesota Vikings’ defense had enough talent to handle the losses of Everson Griffen, Linval Joseph, Trae Waynes, Mackensie Alexander and Xavier Rhodes. After all, they were still set to have Pro Bowlers at each level. But things change quickly on defense.

With Michael Pierce opting out, Danielle Hunter missing camp and at least the first three games with a neck injury and and Anthony Barr now gone for the season with a torn pec, the defense looks nothing like we expected. Through two games only the Atlanta Falcons have allowed more points.

Any young player who wants to be on the 2020 bus, now is the time to board.

Even if Hunter returns, the defensive line is still going to have lots of opportunities for inexperienced players to improve and provide evidence for recently-extended Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman for why they should be a part of the future.

So far nobody on the D-line has done any such thing. The three-techniques Jaleel Johnson and Armon Watts, who are technically playing the spot of Shamar Stephen after he was moved to nose tackle, have PFF grades of 42.0 and 35.7 (out of 100) through two games. Johnson ranks 64th of 68 defensive tackles and Watts 67th of 68.

In Week 17 last year Watts was the Vikings’ best defensive player and showed potential to get after the quarterback but thus far he only has a single QB pressure in 33 pass rushing reps. The good news for him is that over a season he should see another 200-300 more if the team believes there’s something there.

Johnson might be fighting for his NFL life. In his fourth season, he’s played nearly 500 pass rushing snaps and has just 18 QB pressures. The same goes for Hercules Mata’afa, who didn’t see the field Sunday.

There’s 14 weeks left for Johnson and Watts to prove the Vikings shouldn’t be scouring the draft and free agent market desperately for the next Tom Johnson or Sheldon Richardson.

At defensive end, who knows when Hunter is coming back. Based on how things are going for the team, he should take the better-safe-than-sorry route with his reported neck injury.

That opens the door for Yannick Ngakoue to show that he’s worth a long-term contract — he certainly was on Sunday against the Colts with four pressures and a strip sack — and for both Jalyn Holmes and Ifeadi Odenigbo to remain as a part of the defensive line going forward.

Through two weeks Odenigbo has just two QB pressures on 58 pass rushing snaps. That’s not what the Vikings expected after a 7.0 sack season in 2019. Holmes does not have a single pressure and we’re probably closing in on seeing more of fourth-round rookie DJ Wonnum, who played 25 total snaps vs. the Colts.

At linebacker, we already know Eric Wilson has been a solid fill-in whenever Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr have missed time. Is he a full-time starter? Can he handle the role that Barr has taken on since 2014?

It’s easy to look at Barr’s contract and PFF grades and say he’s overpaid but that doesn’t mean he’s easily replaced. Barr handles a lot of different responsibilities. He knows the defense inside and out. He rushes the passer, covers better than he’s given credit for, plays sideline-to-sideline and has largely been good against the run. If Wilson can take on those responsibilities, we might not see Barr again as a Viking.

“A big, integral part of the defense,” Zimmer said of Barr. “Good leader, great guy. It’s tearing him up inside that he’s not going to be able to play but it is what it is and we’ve got to move on.”

No matter Zimmer’s appreciation for him, Barr carries a $15.5 million cap hit next year and the Vikings can create $7.7 million by letting him go.

They also drafted Troy Dye in the 2020 draft. His size and coverage-focused play fits the bill of a player who could A) be pegged for a long-term role B) step up over the next 14 weeks.

“I thought Troy came in and did some good things,” Zimmer said. “He had a couple missed tackles but he ran pretty well. Once Barr went out, it got a little confusing because Eric (Kendricks) was trying to get the calls from the headset and then make the calls and get guys lined up. So that got a little confusing. Wilson did fine. We’ve still got a lot of things we have to work on with those guys but we anticipate that they’ll continue to get better.”

There is also a door open for somebody unexpected to rise to the challenge. Eddie Yarbrough wasn’t active on Sunday but he’s a journeyman likely on his last legs. Ryan Connelly from Wisconsin could see some playing time. Same with Hardy Nickerson Jr. Anyone on the practice squad, really.

Maybe even rookie Josh Metellus if the Vikings decide at some point to trade Anthony Harris.

At cornerback, everyone’s going to get a chance. Rookies Cam Dantzler and Jeff Gladney are very likely part of the 2021 plan even if they struggle but Holton Hill won’t get too many more chances and Mike Hughes is playing with hopes of his fifth-year option being picked up.

We may eventually see star special teamer Kris Boyd and even rookie Harrison Hand on the field before it’s all said and done.

So you might cringe many times this year while watching the Vikings’ defense — something that hasn’t happened since 2013 — but it’s also worth watching to find out who can play. Because you can bet Zimmer is going to be trying all sorts of combinations on defense over the next few months.

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