Minnesota Vikings have a massive need at edge rusher after trading Jonathan Greenard with a simple remedy
It’s not a secret that the Vikings have a need at edge rusher. One player could step in immediately and fill the role Jonathan Greenard left behind.
Whether we like it or not, the Jonathan Greenard trade was deemed a necessary one by Minnesota Vikings interim general manager Rob Brzezinski.
“We want to make it perfectly clear that this has nothing to do with us or the Wilf’s not wanting to spend money or cutting back in any way, pulling back the reins on our spending. We have just spent so much money the last several years that it’s not sustainable. For us to move forward, our salary cap situation has been very, very challenging. And Jonathan had two years left on his contract, and that’s not an easy situation to navigate either and so, like we said, there’s just a lot of factors involved. No decision is just made in a vacuum regarding just Jonathan Greenard and his situation. You have to look at all the aspects and what we think is best for the team.”
Minnesota Vikings interim GM Rob Brzezinski
We’ve parsed this out in multiple ways over the last several weeks, and it’s beating a dead horse at this point. The goal now is to move forward, and the Vikings have a hole to fill.
Jadeveon Clowney can fill Minnesota Vikings’ edge rusher need
Yes, Dallas Turner is going to step in as the starter and therefore fill the production of Greenard. Who is going to fill the production of Turner? That’s the effect of the cause.
There are some interesting options available for the Vikings. There are multiple big-name veterans they could target. Joey Bosa, Von Miller, Cameron Jordan, and Leonard Floyd are all options. There is one player who fits what the Vikings want to do, and he can step right into the Greenard role with ease.
Jadeveon Clowney.
The former first overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, Clowney’s career has been good overall, but he never lived up to the hype. Once he delivered “that hit” against Michigan, expectations were sky high.
After spending the first five years with the Houston Texans, where his final three years had him making the Pro Bowl, he’s bounced around, playing six teams over the next seven years. He’s always received somewhat sizeable contracts wherever he’s gone, with career earnings of $99.5 million.
Statistically, Clowney has been a solid player across his career, and, oddly enough, Clowney doesn’t have a single season with 10 or more sacks. He does have four seasons of 9.0 or 9.5, along with a fifth with 8.5 sacks.
Clowney has never been a consistent pass rusher, mostly utilizing a bullrush to attack offensive linemen. However, his length, power, and linear explosiveness have always made him a dominant run defender. In his three Pro Bowl seasons of 2016-2018, Clowney had 53 tackles for loss, and had 12 last season on just 372 total snaps.
It’s no secret that Clowney won’t be an actual 1:1 replacement for Greenard, who is currently a fringe top-10 edge rusher. However, Clowney can step in and do a lot of what Greenard does in setting the edge and impacting the run. His length and explosiveness are still areas of strength for Clowney. Plus, on pass rush downs, he’s still capable, with 40 pressures on 227 snaps last season. For a one-year flier going into his age-33 season, it seems like a massive win for both sides on the right contract.
Projection: One year, $9 million