The Minnesota Vikings spent strategically this offseason to stay competitive amid significant roster turnover, but they may have made one considerable mistake.
Minnesota traded edge rusher Za’Darius Smith to the Cleveland Browns in May, replacing him with free agent Marcus Davenport who the team signed to a one-year, $13 million deal in March.
Moving on from Smith doesn’t factor into the Vikings’ potential problem, despite the 10 sacks he produced during a Pro-Bowl campaign in 2022. Smith asked out of Minnesota following the season and will be seeking a multiyear contract next spring at the age of 32. Instead, the issue in Minnesota is whether Davenport can replace Smith’s production after posting a career-worst performance of just 0.5 sacks across 15 games played last season.
David Kenyon of Bleacher Report on Sunday, August 13, projected that the answer to that crucial question is “probably not.” As such, Kenyon named Davenport among his five most likely NFL free agent busts post-training camp.
After tallying 4.5 sacks as a rookie with the New Orleans Saints in 2018, [Davenport] recorded six in 2019. But then, he hopped on a roller coaster with 1.5 sacks in 2020, a career-high nine in 2021 and 0.5 in 2022.
Davenport has done a superb job generating pressure, yet he’s struggled to consistently finish those opportunities. The optimistic view is Davenport will thrive opposite Danielle Hunter, giving the Minnesota Vikings a dynamic pair of pass-rushers. The more realistic view is Davenport won’t produce to the level of his $13 million salary.
Danielle Hunter is Back With Vikings on 1-Year Deal, Should Help Marcus Davenport’s Statistical Output
GettyOutside linebacker Danielle Hunter of the Minnesota Vikings celebrates a successful play during an NFL game against the Detroit Lions in October 2021.
Davenport can expect a considerable amount of help from the weak side of the field, where Hunter will be on the prowl and stalking opposing quarterbacks.
After a tumultuous offseason, Hunter signed a new contract to remain in Minnesota that will pay him $17 million guaranteed over the next year and caps out at $20 million with incentives. The less fortunate news is that Hunter will hit free agency next spring, though the silver lining there is that he is playing in a contract year after earning his third Pro-Bowl nod in five seasons in 2022.
Hunter, who turns 29 years old in October, tallied 10.5 sacks and 34 quarterback pressures last season and is likely to command double-teams from opposing offenses more than any other player on the Vikings’ roster. As such, Davenport’s 14 QB pressures in 2022 should be on the rise this year along with his sack total, assuming relative health.
Vikings Secondary Will Rely on OLBs Danielle Hunter, Marcus Davenport This Season
GettyHead coach Kevin O’Connell (right) greets outside linebacker Marcus Davenport (left) of the Minnesota Vikings before a preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks in August 2023.
Production from Hunter and Davenport figures to be critical if the Vikings hope to improve upon what was the second-worst pass defense in the league last season. Minnesota surrendered north of 4,500 yards to opposing passing attacks in 2022, per NFL.com, and continues to face questions in the secondary with less than one month until Week 1.
The Vikings’ first unofficial depth chart of the preseason listed second-year cornerback Akayleb Evans as one of two starters after the former fourth-round pick appeared in just 10 games and earned only two starts as a rookie. Evans also entered the NFL’s concussion protocol on three separate occasions in 2022 and missed the last several contests of the year due to those issues.
Evans was hardly stellar in coverage when he did play, allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete 64% of their passes against him for a collective rating of 110.7, per Pro Football Reference. However, Evans has some of the physical traits required to succeed in new defensive coordinator Brian Flores‘ aggressive scheme, which is characterized by a high number of blitzes that leave cornerbacks in man-coverage on the outside more frequently than most other defensive configurations.
If Evans finishes the preseason as Minnesota’s No. 2 cornerback, he will start alongside free agent acquisition Byron Murphy Jr. Murphy has been an above-average cover cornerback over four seasons in the NFL, all with the Arizona Cardinals, though he missed eight games with injury issues of his own in 2022.
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Vikings $13 Million Edge Acquisition Dubbed Likely Bust in 2023