The Vikings’ Defense Got Even Better

The Minnesota Vikings’ pass rush was led by Everson Griffen for quite some time but that came to an end this offseason. The team elected to prioritize its salary cap spending in other spots and ultimately led to Griffen departing to sign a one-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys.

When the opportunity to acquire Yannick Ngakoue presented itself, the Vikings capitalized on it. Now, the team upgraded from Griffen and got much younger at the position while still being able to fill key spots at other parts of the roster.

The deal was something that appears to be best for everyone involved, including both teams and individually for the Ngakoue. That’s something that Jaguars defensive coordinator Todd Wash appreciates about the outcome.

“You know, I was excited for the player. It’s something that Yan wanted,” Wash said, via John Shipley of Sports Illustrated. 

“I’m excited for the club that—there was a deal made where, obviously, we feel comfortable with that. But the biggest thing is I think it worked out for both sides.”

For the Vikings, they will continue to be highly competitive in the NFC North and the addition of Ngakoue will help with that. With quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford in the division, it’s crucial to have a deep pass rush that can impact the pocket.

It remains to be seen if the Vikings’ offense can push the team enough to get over the hump to contention in 2020. However, the defense will be ready to make some noise as a unit and a big impact from Ngakoue is expected to occur to help set the tone.