Tag: D.J. Wonnum

Pro Football Network report names Vikings’ OLB D.J. Wonnum a top “sleeper” free agent

Is D.J. Wonnum a sleeper in the free agent market? Pro Football Network’s Adam Caplan believes so

As we inch closer to the NFL’s free agency period, the Minnesota Vikings have a number of decisions they’re going to have to make in the next few weeks. Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter are the two high-profile free agents that Minnesota will have to make a choice on, but they have a number of other players about to hit the open market.

One of those players, D.J. Wonnum, could garner more attention on the open market than some may realize. According to a report from PFN’s Adam Caplan, one NFL pro personnel source has said that Wonnum is a “top sleeper” for this year’s free agency period.

Defensively, keep an eye on D.J. Wonnum, who a pro personnel source said should be considered a top “sleeper” for free agency. Wonnum, who has posted 23 sacks in his four seasons of play, played in a career-high 83% of the team’s defensive snaps last season and has excellent length and size as an edge rusher (6-5, 260, 34 1/8-arm).

In addition to Hunter and Wonnum, the Vikings are also going to have to make a decision on EDGE rusher Marcus Davenport. Davenport, who was brought in last season from the New Orleans Saints, was a high-profile signing last season, but failed to live up to expectations, due in large part to injuries. When Davenport was healthy, he was a productive piece in Brian Flores’ much-improved Vikings defense.

Caplan goes on to say that he anticipates the Vikings bringing back at least one of those three, but that Hunter could fetch a steep price, somewhere between 17 and 20 million, on the open market. Davenport, at least according to Caplan, is likely to be the odd man out in this scenario.

Look for Minnesota to make a push to re-sign at least one of them, but Hunter, who turns 30 in late October, could yield a deal worth $17-$20 million per season elsewhere due to his outstanding productivity over his career and versatility. Both sides agreed to a revised one-year deal last season worth $17 million (fully guaranteed).

As for Marcus Davenport, who only played in just four games last season due to injury, look for him to be playing elsewhere.

Minnesota has a number of players scheduled to hit free agency, and not a lot of money to play with once you factor in the need to sign the eventual 2024 NFL draft class. It will be interesting to see where general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah chooses to prioritize spending that money.

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7 Vikings make Pro Football Focus’ top 150 free agents list

From Kirk Cousins to K.J. Osborn, 7 Minnesota Vikings made Pro Football Focus’ top 150 free agents list.

Free agency is going to be an interesting time for the Minnesota Vikings.

When you look at the future for the Vikings, there are a lot of question marks. How will they clear cap space to add talent? Will they be aggressive in the market or prefer to keep their players in house?

Looking at that will be really interesting throughout the next few months because the success they have had over the last two years has been varied. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will have some difficult decisions to make.

The Vikings have 28 free agents this offseason and seven of them made Pro Football Focus’ top 150 free agents list.

NFL Network’s Bucky Brooks brings Vikings help on defense in mock draft

NFL Network’s Bucky Brooks brings a bona fide pass rusher to Brian Flores and the Minnesota defense.

NFL Network’s Bucky Brooks released his Mock Draft 1.0 as the first 28 spots have been solidified with the conclusion of the divisional round of the playoffs.

With the 11th pick, Brooks called in some help in the pass-rush department to the Minnesota Vikings as they selected Florida State edge rusher Jared Verse.

Adding an athletic pass rusher to the lineup will enhance the Vikings’ aggressive schemes under Brian Flores. The Florida State standout flashes double-digit potential as a sack artist.

Does he ever. Verse’s strength and bend around the edge make perennial Pro Bowler Danielle Hunter the perfect player for Verse to learn under.

Or possibly replace.

Hunter, along with pass-rushers D.J. Wonnum and Marcus Davenport, is a free agent in the upcoming off-season. What to do with Hunter and his sure-to-be-expensive contract is one of the hot-button issues that the Vikings front office will navigate.

Having a possible replacement in mind may not be the worst idea. Having that replacement be of the caliber of Verse makes it even better.

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These 28 Vikings are free agents in 2024

The Minnesota Vikings are set to have 28 free agents in 2024, including multiple starters on offense and defense.

This offseason is going to be a pivotal one for the 2024 Minnesota Vikings.

After spending the 2022 and 2023 seasons working on getting out of some bad contracts, they have set themselves up to make some big moves in the 2024 offseason.

From the quarterback position to attacking the defensive front, the 2024 Vikings could look a lot different. However, before they make a decision on bringing in anybody new, they have to make decisions on who will be a free agent that is already on the roster.

The Vikings currently have 28 players set to be a free agent in 2024, including multiple starters on both sides of the football.

Vikings vs. Lions: 4 defensive keys for week 18

In what could be the final game for Brian Flores as a Viking, here are four keys to success for the Minnesota defense.

The Minnesota Vikings are guaranteed one more game in the 2023 season, and it will be played on Sunday at Ford Field at noon CST.

These last two weeks for the Vikings have been ones to forget. Getting throttled by these same Lions and embarrassed in a pivotal primetime matchup against the Green Bay Packers in back-to-back weeks was not an ideal end to 2023.

It’s 2024 now. The calendar has flipped, and the possibilities are endless. Except for the possibility of Minnesota getting into the playoffs, that ends at around 3%, depending on what simulator you use.

If Minnesota wants to try to cash in on those small odds, they must stop this Lions offense that has been rolling as of late. They scored the sixth-most points, gained the sixth-most yards per play, and were fifth in total yards in December.

Minnesota’s defense, other than their 3-0 slobber knocker against the Las Vegas Raiders, has been a dumpster fire. Since week 15, Minnesota has been second-to-last in EPA/play allowed and dead last in defensive success rate. Teams have been able to get whatever they want against the Vikings, especially through the air. They are third-worst in EPA/dropback and dead last in defensive success rate on dropbacks in that same span.

Whatever the answer may be, they need to find it fast if they want a shot at slipping into the playoffs. Here are four potential answers that they could administer to slow down this Lions’ attack.

4 Vikings players to watch in Week 17 vs. Packers

These players will need a big game if the Vikings want to win on Sunday.

The Minnesota Vikings are a fascinating team to watch the last two weeks of the regular season.

Sitting at 7-8, they no longer control their own destiny for the playoffs, but they are still very much alive for a wild card spot after a 30-24 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday afternoon.

That game also saw multiple season-ending injuries, as both tight end T.J. Hockenson and outside linebacker D.J. Wonnum suffered season-ending injuries and were placed on injured reserve earlier this week.

Looking at the Vikings play this season, they are at their best when they don’t turn the ball over and the starts make big plays. These players will need a big game if the Vikings want to win on Sunday.

The Real Forno Show: Where do the Vikings go from here?

The Real Forno Show breaks down where the Vikings go from here as they no longer control their own destiny.

The Minnesota Vikings are in a weird place right now. They are coming off of a 30-24 loss to the Detroit Lions and no longer control their own destiny when it comes to the playoffs. They don’t control their own destiny when it comes to making the playoffs and gave the Lions the NFC North title with four interceptions from Nick Mullens.

Who should get the start on Sunday? It’s an interesting discussion that was made even more murky with both Jaren Hall and Mullens getting first-team snaps during Wednesday’s walkthrough.

As we move forward with the final two games of the regular season, there are a lot of questions to answer.

We are here to break it all down and more on the latest episode of The Real Forno Show, airing Monday and Wednesday nights at 6 pm central on the Vikings 1st & SKOL YouTube channel.

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Twitter reacts to T.J. Hockenson’s season ending torn ACL and MCL

Fans took to Twitter to express their frustration

The Minnesota Vikings lost one of their best players for the season in Sunday afternoon when T.J. Hockenson went down with a knee injury in the third quarter.

On Tuesday afternoon, head coach Kevin O’Connell said that he tore both his ACL and MCL in his right knee and would be placed on season-ending injured reserve. That paired with OLB D.J. Wonnum also was injured with a torn quad muscle and he would also join Hockenson on injured reserve.

Needless to say, Vikings fans were really upset by the news of Hockenson’s injury and they expressed their frustrations on Twitter.

 

Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson suffers torn ACL and MCL, out for season

The worst has come to fruition for Hockenson which ends his season and puts 2023 in doubt

Injuries will be the narrative that defines the 2023 Minnesota Vikings season. During his press conference on Tuesday afternoon, head coach Kevin O’Connell told the media that tight end T.J. Hockenson suffered season-ending torn ACL and MCL injuries to his right knee.

Hockenson will join OLB D.J. Wonnum on injured reserve with a torn quad muscle as both players suffered the injuries in the second half against the Detroit Lions.

This is a brutal blow, not just for the rest of 2023, but also the 2024 season. The standard recovery time is nine months and if Hockenson has surgery on the ligaments this week, that would put him on a timeline to be potentially ready in week four of the 2024 season.

Due to the nature of major knee injuries, it’s likely that Hockenson will miss more time than that. The physically unable to perform list is very plausible, and that could lead to missing half or more of the season.

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Vikings OLB D.J. Wonnum (torn quad) out for season

Another brutal injury for the Vikings

The hits just keep on coming for the Minnesota Vikings.

According to ESPN’s Ian Rapoport, Vikings OLB D.J. Wonnum suffered a partially torn quad against the Detroit Lions and will miss the rest of the season. He suffered the injury when rushing the passer and went down in non-contact fashion.

It’s a brutal blow to an already depleted defensive front. The Vikings already have three players from their front on injured reserve.

  • OLB Marcus Davenport
  • DE Dean Lowry
  • DE James Lynch

In Wonnum’s place, OLB Pat Jones II will get the starting job and his performance on Sunday. Rookie Andre Carter II also will likely get more snaps which will help his development.

It’s not just a brutal blow for Wonnum and the Vikings for this season, but the fourth year pass rusher from South Carolina is set to be a free agent this offseason. After having a career year, Wonnum looked to be able to cash in on a sizable contract. Things could look a little different now.