Getty Former Vikings defensive end Ifeadi Odenigbo signed with the Indianapolis Colts on June 13, 2022.
Minnesota Vikings fans had ample opportunities to watch late-round edge rusher prospects flourish during the Mike Zimmer era.
Turning raw prospects like Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter into perennial Pro Bowlers, the Vikings appeared to have another Pro Bowler developing under defensive line coach Andre Patterson.
Ifeadi Odenigbo was named ESPN’s No. 1 breakout candidate ahead of the 2020 season, but amid struggles facing the entire unit, failed to make a name for himself as a first-year starter.
He’s bounced around the NFL since then and hasn’t started a game since 2020.
However, his new home could offer ample opportunity to reclaim a starting role and prove his worth in the league alongside an old friend.
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Odenigbo Joins Yannick Ngakoue in Indy
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported on June 13 that the Indianapolis Colts “are signing veteran DE Ifeadi Odenigbo, per source.”
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The #Colts are signing veteran DE Ifeadi Odenigbo, per source.
Odenigbo, 28, originally signed with the New York Giants in the 2021 offseason but failed to make the final 53-man roster in August. The Cleveland Browns claimed Odenigbo off waivers the next week. He played in nine games for the Browns.
He joins forces with Yannick Ngakoue in Indianapolis (yeah, that guy who played five games for the Vikings in 2020 before being traded to the Baltimore Ravens, and yet, still led the team with 5.0 sacks).
The Colts pass-rushing core is undergoing a transformation with 2021 first-round pick Kwity Paye, Ngakoue and Odenigbo expecting to play vital roles this season.
Odenigbo hasn’t tallied a sack since the 2020 season after notching 3.5 sacks that year as a 15-game starter. He posted a career-low 49.6 Pro Football Focus (PFF) player grade in 2021 in his first year away from the Vikings and defensive line guru Andre Patterson, who is now on staff with the Giants.
However, Odenigbo flashed promise in the 2019 season with the benefit of playing with Griffen and Hunter. In the final nine games of the season, he tallied 6.0 sacks, six tackles for loss, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries, including a 56-yard touchdown return.
He’ll have a chance to recapture his former glory with Kwaye and Ngakoue the presumptive starters in a defense that is transitioning to a 4-3 base scheme that could be a better fit for his skillset.
The Vikings will reunite with Ngakoue and Odenigbo in Week 15, when the Colts visit U.S. Bank Stadium on December 18.
Danielle Hunter a ‘Kid in the Candy Store’ With New Defense
For as long as he’s been a figure on the Vikings defense, Hunter has primarily lined up at right defensive end with his hand on the ground.
However, in the new system defensive coordinator Ed Donatell is installing, Hunter will be moving all over the defensive front to exploit the best mismatch for his abilities — a development that linebackers coach Mike Smith likened Hunter to a “kid in a candy shop.”
“The one package we have where you see Z [Za’Darius Smith] rushing up the middle and doing that type of stuff, now [Danielle’s] getting to do it and he’s like a kid in a candy shop,” M. Smith said, per Inside the Vikings. “He gets to move around. Now he gets to understand that once you get everything built and once you learn all these protections, why it’s so beneficial. You’ve got a really athletic guy and most guards aren’t very athletic. They are athletic because they’re in the NFL, but not like those tackles. So that was the thing with Z in Green Bay is you’re going against this guy and I’m going to give you the one-on-one, so go win.”