Vikings defender not getting the respect he deserves as a candidate to win prestigious annual NFL award
The Minnesota Vikings spent a lot of capital this offseason focusing on fixing their edge rusher room. They gave out multiple big contracts in free agency and spent a significant amount of draft capital to acquire Dallas Turner at 17th overall. The one player they chose not to bring back was Danielle Hunter, who signed […]
The Minnesota Vikings spent a lot of capital this offseason focusing on fixing their edge rusher room. They gave out multiple big contracts in free agency and spent a significant amount of draft capital to acquire Dallas Turner at 17th overall.
The one player they chose not to bring back was Danielle Hunter, who signed a two-year contract worth up to $50 million with the Houston Texans. The player they gave the big money deal to replace Hunter felt questionable by some, but his performance in his first season with the Vikings is among the best in the National Football League.
Jonathan Greenard should win Defensive Player of the Year award
The Vikings gave Jonathan Greenard a four-year, $76 million contract in the first half hour of the legal tampering period, making it the first significant contract that Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was able to give out in his tenure as general manager.
The contract itself was relatively expected for Greenard, but the Vikings giving it to him raised some eyebrows. Greenard had just one season of production for the Houston Texans in his first four NFL seasons but how he got that production was legit. The big question was if he could end up getting that production while playing a significantly higher snap share. Well, he's answered that question in droves.
Greenard has been a wrecking ball for the Vikings this season. He is getting it done in a multitude of ways for the Vikings. In week three, his former team the Texans decided to use a tight end to block him. Well, that didn't go well, as he sacked C.J. Stroud three times on the day.
Greenard has been excellent all season. Each week has seen multiple plays where Greenard takes over completely. The film says a ton, as does the charting data from Pro Football Focus. Not only has Greenard been a game wrecker, he's been efficient. He's 20th in the NFL in win percentage at 16.9% per PFF and 15th in ESPN's pass rush win rate, but he has the most pressures in the NFL with 48 and has 7.0 sacks on those pressures. Whether it be kicking inside or rushing off the edge, Greenard has a diverse tool set that he uses very well to get to the quarterback.
Jonathan Greenard is a menace in the run game
The Vikings didn't just sign Greenard for his ability to rush the passer, Greenard has been a menace in the run game.
Arguably his best attribute is the ability to get off the football. Greenard has a lethal first step off the ball, which is why the Vikings chose to prioritize him in free agency. Hunter is arguably a better player and pass rusher, but his ability to get off on the snap is something Hunter doesn't have.
Take a look at how Greenard makes an impact on this zone run against the San Francisco 49ers.
The 49ers are asking talented fullback Kyle Juszczyk to get a down block on Greenard. Theoretically, this isn't a super difficult task on the backside of a zone run, especially for a player of his caliber. He crosses Juszczyk's face without issue and explodes through the C-gap for an easy tackle for loss. Well, the play wasn't easy, but he makes these so routinely that it looks easy.
He does the same thing here against the Texans but fights through contact to put himself in a position to make the play. He can't quite wrap up the running back, but getting there in itself is really impressive.
In most years, the award would already be wrapped up with Aaron Donald, but he's not in the league anymore. The best defensive players that are also in contention are New York Giants DT Dexter Lawrence, Cleveland Browns DE Myles Garrett and Cincinnati Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson.
The one thing holding those players back is their teams are all below 0.500 and awards like this usually go to a player on a really good team. Greenard not only is on a really good team, but has the resume to win the award straight up. It's time to give Greenard the recognition he deserves.
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