The Minnesota Vikings have just released veteran linebacker Eric Kendricks. In a move that clears $9.5 million in cap space this offseason, the Vikings are moving on from the likely ring of honor player.
Kendricks this past season finished the 2022 season with 137 tackles, 1 sack and a 61.1 PFF grade. This marks one of the worst statistical years for Kendricks but given his age and change in defensive scheme where both Kendricks and veteran linebacker Jordan Hicks struggled all year in coverage. It is a difficult ask to require a 31 year old linebacker to regularly guard some of the league’s fastest players. Kendricks was one of the survivors of the previous regime, being drafted in 2015 from UCLA.
Kendricks has had a very strong run since being drafted, finishing with a 90.2 PFF grade in 2019 and an 82.6 PFF grade in 2020. Since then, Kendricks has struggled in recent years and his $11.43 million cap hit in 2023 made him a likely release candidate so this move is not surprising. While this move is not surprising, it does raise plenty of questions about the direction of the Vikings defense. Kendricks was for all intents and purposes a defensive leader.
Kendricks leaves a void that is expected to be filled by 2nd year player Brian Asamoah. Asamoah was selected in the 2nd round of last year’s NFL draft due to his speed and ball skills. With a 4.56 second 40 yard dash time and a 1.55 second 10 yard split. Both of these times place Asamoah above the 90th percentile for speed amongst linebackers. While discussing the players filling the role of Kendricks is important, perhaps the most important question that arises from the news this morning comes from the direction the team is heading. Are more veterans next on the chopping block?
Kendricks is just one of a handful of expensive, aging defensive veterans who put the Vikings between a rock and a hard place. Players such as Harrison Smith, Za’Darius Smith, Jordan Hicks, and even Danielle Hunter are all potential players the Vikings could move on from this off-season given their combination of age and price-tag. While Smith and Hunter are both still immensely talented, Smith has a cap hit of roughly $20 million annually over the next three seasons which is certainly an overpay in the eyes of analytics driven general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. Hunter is both underpaid and productive, with a cap hit this season of $13.1 million and a PFF grade of 86.1 last season. The issue lies in the fact that Hunter is now 28, which is not young for an edge. Additionally, Hunter is set for an extension this offseason that would make him a top 10 highest paid edge rusher at roughly $25 million annually.
Regardless of one’s feelings on the direction the Vikings should go, Kendricks is the first domino to fall in what will likely be a bevy of moves. With the hire of former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores as defensive coordinator, expect there to be big changes in the next coming weeks as Flores shapes the defense into his liking. One thing is certain, having several overpaid, aging defensive pieces is a recipe for failure and now that Flores is in the kitchen to demand the lamb sauce, expect better results for the Vikings in the coming years. So will the Vikings tear their defense fully down, try to run it back or do a combination of the two? For all things Vikings and more, keep it right here on NFCNorthReport.com
