Vikings linebacker unit ranked ninth by PFF
Minnesota struggled with depth at linebacker in 2020, which is part of the reason why the team couldn’t really stop anyone.
Linebackers Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks both were out with injuries at times. In Barr’s case, he had a season-ending injury in the Vikings’ second game. Kendricks missed five games.
With those two, the Vikings linebacker corps should be one of the best in the league. According to Pro Football Focus, that seems to be the case. PFF’s Sam Monson ranked Minnesota’s linebacker unit as the ninth-best in the NFL. Monson wrote:
“Eric Kendricks has the best PFF coverage grade of any linebacker in the NFL since the start of the 2019 season (91.7), as well as the most forced incompletions (17) and the highest forced incompletion rate (14.9%). He is one of the best coverage linebackers in the game, and if the Vikings can coax the best play out of any of Anthony Barr, Nick Vigil or rookie Chazz Surratt alongside him, they will really be cooking.”
Minnesota is established at the top of the linebacker depth chart, but after that there are some question marks. Vigil, Surratt, Dye and others may have to step up at times. If one of those players can become a serviceable linebacker three, then maybe an injury to Barr or Kendricks won’t be as dire as it was in 2020.
