Signing Ndamukong Suh could help take Vikings defense over the top
The Minnesota Vikings need an attitude adjustment in 2022, and five-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is just the player to help get them there.
Nearly two weeks ago, USA TODAY’s Tyler Dragon reported that the Vikings were one of two teams that have had multiple conversations with the 35-year-old linemen over a possible signing.
As of right now, nothing has come to fruition, and things have once again gone eerily quiet on the Suh front. Of course, Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah could change all of that, along with the defensive perception in Minnesota, if he finds a way to pull off a deal.
Imagine the look on Aaron Rodgers’ face when he sees the man that has bedeviled him for years now suddenly lining up across from him in a Vikings jersey in Week 1.
That moment alone might be worth the signing.
But there’s also the fact that Suh brings a nastiness to a defense that can’t be replicated. He’s unapologetically brash on the football field, and he consistently plays with a physical edge to his game.
Yes, the ability to serve as the seemingly impenetrable run-stuffer at times is still there. But don’t sleep on his tendency to turn back the clock every so often, toss an offensive linemen aside like an action figure and blow up plays in the backfield.
Even though 2021 brought an end to his run with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he still finished the season with 27 tackles, six sacks and seven tackles for a loss.
An interesting part from a Vikings perspective, however, is his versatility in playing in multiple fronts. If defensive coordinator Ed Donatell is installing a chameleon-style defense, he could use a smart veteran playmaker with experience in 3-4 and 4-3 defenses.
More importantly, he could use a player with a long track record of simply being available. Injuries have been a common theme for the Vikings defense over the last couple of seasons. You’d have to go all the way back to 2011 just to find a year where Suh didn’t play in 16 games.
Availability counts for something, and the Vikings are going to need an all-hands-on-deck effort to get back to the playoffs for the first time in three years.
If the money is right, the Suh sweepstakes ending in Minnesota should be a no-brainer.
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