Getty Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell during the team's 2023 season opener.
The Minnesota Vikings could have used another Pro Bowl-caliber player in the middle of Brian Flores‘ swarming defense, but it was not to be.
Minnesota took a hard look at Darius Shaquille Leonard after the Indianapolis Colts released the three-time All-Pro on November 21, but the linebacker ultimately chose to play elsewhere.
“Leonard … has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles,” Grant Gordon of NFL.com wrote on Monday, December 4. “Leonard visited with the Eagles on Wednesday after he initially visited with the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday. He’s decided to go with first-place Philadelphia for the stretch run as the reigning NFC champions look for a Super Bowl return.”
Last 2 Losses May Have Damaged Vikings’ Chances to Land Shaquille Leonard
GettyFormer Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Shaquille Leonard signed a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported the Vikings’ interest in Leonard on Thanksgiving Day, just 48 hours after his run with the Colts abruptly ended.
“Leonard spent the last few seasons in Indy after signing a five-year, $98.25 million contract extension in 2021, but then injuries held him back,” Russini wrote. “Now teams still in contention like the Eagles, Cowboys, Vikings and others are ‘collecting information’ on him. A league source said Leonard may take his time making a decision.”
Leonard hasn’t indicated publicly why he chose to sign with the Eagles before even meeting with the Vikings, but a cursory glance between the lines suggests that the 28-year-old linebacker is looking for a Super Bowl victory and felt Philadelphia provided him the best opportunity. If that is the case then Minnesota’s two consecutive losses to the Denver Broncos and Chicago Bears, which dropped the team to 6-6, probably had something to do with Leonard’s perception.
The Vikings defense has assumed a disproportionate burden to keep the team competitive following injuries to wide receiver Justin Jefferson and quarterback Kirk Cousins, then the subsequent drop off in QB Josh Dobbs‘ play after making national waves for a couple of weeks. The unit allowed just 12 points to the Bears in Minneapolis on Monday Night Football one week ago, but four interceptions and 10 points on offense cost the Vikings the game.
Philadelphia can offer Leonard a quality defense to join, just like Minnesota. However, the Eagles can also offer him an offense that pulls its weight every week and a guaranteed trip to the playoffs — both of which remain question marks in Minneapolis as the team comes off its bye week.
Vikings Predicted to Stand Pat for Stretch Run, as Marcus Davenport Eligible to Return
GettyPass-rusher Marcus Davenport of the Minnesota Vikings sacks quarterback Bryce Young of the Carolina Panthers during an NFL game in October 2023.
With Leonard now out of the equation, the Vikings are more likely to stick out the stretch run with the personnel they have.
“If the Vikings were going to add someone for the end-of-the-year stretch, it likely would have happened during the bye,” Bleacher Report’s NFL Staff wrote Monday. “They’re committed to making it work with the guys in the building, and Jefferson’s return should help as well. Plus, Marcus Davenport is now eligible to return from injured reserve, so the team has plenty of help on the way.”
Davenport, hampered by injury for much of the 2023 campaign, has played just four games for Minnesota after signing a one-year, $13 million deal during the offseason. However, he has tallied 6 pressures, 4 QB hits and 2 sacks across those four performances and should offer a meaningful complement of production playing opposite Danielle Hunter, who has proven among the best edge-rushers in the NFL this season.