Last season, the Minnesota Vikings failed to meet expectations. They finished the year 8-7-1, sitting second in the NFC North Division. Their defense really underperformed from the previous year. They sat first in the league in defensive points allowed, one of the best defenses in the entire league.
The Vikings’ defense lost its firepower from 2017. Its energy and production didn’t rise to the same levels in 2018. Pro Football Reference ranked the Vikings’ front seven ninth in the NFL. It wasn't that their defense was bad. It's that the expectations for their season were much higher. The same talent was there, there was just wasn't the same execution.
The only member of the defense that seemed to step up and play well was Sheldon Richardson. On the season, he had 49 tackles and 4.5 sacks. His presence inside was one reason why they were able to stop the run so well. Otherwise, Anthony Barr and Danielle Hunter were fine as linebackers, but otherwise, their play was underwhelming.
The Vikings’ bread and butter is their defense. They have one of the best collections of defensive players in the league. Per Over the Cap, the Vikings will have around $7 million of cap space coming into the offseason. Richardson is now a free agent. How they replace Richardson will have a huge impact. But he's not the only free agent for the Vikings.
The best decision they could make moving forward is bringing back their linebacker Barr. Last season for the Vikings Barr started and played 13 games, getting 55 tackles, eight tackles for loss, three sacks, one forced fumble, and two pass deflections. Pro-Football Focus graded him out at 71.4, making him 26th best linebacker in the NFL.
The Vikings need to keep their defensive core around. If they lose Barr, they are losing out on the quarterback of their defense. This is why it's a must that they keep him around.
They should be able to franchise tag him or stretch out contracts to fit him on the roster. Whatever they have to do to keep him around they absolutely should do.
There aren't many high-quality middle linebackers in free agency. The market is dry, and wasting a draft pick in the middle rounds on a project isn't going to cut it. They have to solidify that position or else have a massive hole in their defense next season.
Anthony Barr isn't the greatest linebacker in the league, but he's the best option for the Vikings moving forward.
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