Tag: Michael Pierce

Vikings expect DT Michael Pierce to be back

The Minnesota Vikings expect Michael Pierce to be back for the 2021 NFL season.

The Vikings received a blow to their hopes for 2020 when defensive tackle Michael Pierce, the team’s biggest signing in free agency, opted out of the season.

Pierce said to the Pioneer Press’ Chris Tomasson that the defensive tackle had really bad asthma among other respiratory issues, so it was a high-risk opt-out.

Now, the Vikings expect their nose tackle to play. Asked about Pierce, Vikings GM Rick Spielman seemed optimistic about the defensive tackle’s return.

“He looks in great shape,” Spielman said to Chad Graff of The Athletic. “We anticipate him being here.”

Pierce would be a big help as a run-stopper. That said, he probably won’t be the Vikings’ solution to getting pressure in the pass rush next season and he’s not going to play 600 snaps. Even with Pierce and Hunter on the defensive line, that unit needs to improve in other areas.

Is Kawann Short a fit for the Vikings?

Short has only played in five games over the last two seasons.

The Minnesota Vikings need some help on their interior line. That’s not exactly a secret.

One player to watch in free agency is former Panthers defensive tackle Kawaan Short.

Nick Shook over at NFL.com lists Short as a good fit for the Vikings. Here’s what Shook wrote about the fit:

Short made much more money in Carolina than he’ll fetch on the open market, which could make him a good fit for the financially-strapped Vikings. Minnesota needs to get better up front after finishing 27th against the run, and if Short can stay healthy, he might be able to make a difference at a bargain rate for the Vikings.

Short, 32, has played in just five games over the last two seasons, so it’s tough to say what exactly the Vikings would get here. He was a Pro Bowl player in 2015 and 2018, so the talent is there for the former second-round pick, he just needs to stay on the field.

It’s worth noting that the Vikings will also have Michael Pierce, who sat out in 2020, back in 2021.

Ravens expected to earn 2 compensatory picks in 2021 NFL draft

The Baltimore Ravens are expected to earn compensatory picks in the 2021 NFL draft after losing coach David Culley and DT Michael Pierce.

If the Baltimore Ravens could enter every draft with 20 picks, they probably still wouldn’t be happy and would actively look to trade back at some point to acquire more. But this offseason, the Ravens’ draft cupboard is pretty bare as they start thinking about the 2021 NFL draft.

Currently, Baltimore has just five picks in the 2021 NFL draft after trading for players like Yannick Ngakoue. But that’s before the NFL announces the compensatory picks, which should give the Ravens quite the boost in draft capital.

According to Over The Cap, the Ravens are set to earn two compensatory picks in the 2021 NFL draft — in the third- and fifth-round — bringing their total to seven draft picks. While the compensatory picks aren’t locked in stone, OTC has been one of the best at predicting which teams will earn what, so it’s a pretty safe bet.

Baltimore’s third-round compensatory pick is already guaranteed to happen. With the Houston Texans hiring former Ravens wide receivers coach David Culley as their new head coach, Baltimore earns a third-round compensatory pick in both the 2021 and 2022 NFL drafts. It’s a part of the league’s new minority hiring initiative, unanimously agreed to by team owners in November as a way to promote minority head coach and general manager candidates.

It’s the fifth-round pick that OTC is really predicting. They’re expecting defensive tackle Michael Pierce, who signed with the Minnesota Vikings last year but opted out of the 2020 season under the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols, to earn one of the last remaining fifth-round picks. The Vikings signed Pierce to a three-year $27 million contract that has an APY of $9 million, which is a major factor in the compensatory pick formula, per OTC.

While the compensatory picks haven’t been announced yet, here are the expected Ravens’ 2021 NFL draft picks.

Round Pick #
1st 27
2nd 58
3rd 104 *Comp pick for David Culley
4th 131
5th 169
5th 184 *Comp pick for Michael Pierce
6th 211

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Offensive and defensive line listed as offseason need for Vikings

The Vikings need some help on the front line both offensively and defensively.

The Vikings need some help on the front line both offensively and defensively.

Sam Monson over at Pro Football Talk listed the biggest needs for each team this offseason. For the Vikings, Monson listed the offensive line, defensive line and edge rushers.

Here’s what Monson wrote about the Vikings:

The Minnesota Vikings have several glaring holes that need to be addressed, none bigger than on the offensive line. Minnesota’s guards were some of the worst starters in the league in 2020, with Dru Samia ending up with an 18.7 PFF pass-blocking grade and Dakota Dozier a 36.7 pass-blocking mark. Former first-round pick Garrett Bradbury was a little better at center (38.8), meaning the entire interior could use an upgrade. The defensive line was also an abysmal unit once it had no Danielle Hunter to rely on, and any spot outside of his could use an immediate upgrade.

Getting Hunter back from injury and Michael Pierce off of the reserve list will be huge for the team, but there’s no doubt the team needs to invest in the offensive line in what will be a huge year for Mike Zimmer, Rick Spielman and Kirk Cousins after a disappointing 2020 season.

Report: Ravens DL coach Joe Cullen top target for Jaguars defensive coordinator job

The Jaguars are starting to build their staff out after hiring Urban Meyer and Ravens’ Joe Cullen could be their defensive coordinator

The Jacksonville Jaguars finished their coaching search, bringing in former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer to right the franchise. But just because either Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman or defensive coordinator Don Martindale wasn’t chosen for the coaching vacancy doesn’t mean Baltimore’s staff isn’t still in the crosshairs.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Ravens defensive line coach Joe Cullen is a top target for the defensive coordinator job on Meyer’s staff.

Cullen has been with Baltimore for the last five seasons, joining the team in 2016 after a two-season stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He’s primarily been a defensive line coach throughout his career, both in the NFL and in the college ranks.

If Cullen does leave for Jacksonville’s defensive coordinator job, he’ll be missed in Baltimore. Cullen has helped develop players like Michael Pierce, Brandon Williams, and Timmy Jernigan; while keeping the Ravens’ defense among the best against the run over that time.

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Vikings draft DL Jordan Davis in B/R 2021 mock draft

The Vikings could use an upgrade on the interior of their offensive line. Could they address it in the 1st round of the 2021 draft?

The 2020 NFL season hasn’t started yet, but here we are talking about the 2021 NFL Draft.

That’s how the content cycle in the NFL works and we just go along with it.

Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller posted a 2021 mock draft prior to the 2020 season. With the 21st pick, Miller has the Vikings selecting Georgia defensive lineman Jordan Davis.

Here’s what Miller wrote about the pick:

Jordan Davis is the top interior defensive lineman in the 2021 class and among the most exciting underclassmen in the nation. The Georgia defense is loaded with talent, but it all revolves around Davis in the middle.

His tape as a sophomore last season was full of dominant flashes. If he takes the next step in 2020, his 6’6″, 310-pound frame could make him a Javon Kinlaw-type prospect and a top-10-graded player.

The Vikings are already loaded at defensive end with Danielle Hunter and Yannick Ngakoue. The depth chart gets a little soft, though, at the interior defensive line spot with Jaleel Johnson and Shamar Stephen.

While the team will likely have Michael Pierce back in 2021, there’s still a spot next to him the team could upgrade. Maybe that could be addressed in the first round of next year’s draft and if it is, maybe it could be Davis.

Vikings DT Michael Pierce talks about his opt-out season

See how Vikings defensive tackle Michael Pierce has been keeping busy amid his opt-out season.

The Vikings signed Michael Pierce this offseason. who could have presumably filled in at the team’s open nose tackle spot.

He ended up opting out of the 2020 NFL season, though. He said that he has really bad asthma among other respiratory issues, so it’s a high-risk opt-out.

Pierce recently discussed what he’s been doing amid his opt-out season with ESPN’s Courtney Cronin.

“We’re kind of retooling my body,” Pierce said, via ESPN. “Lots of sprint work, alactic conditioning with all those cardio machines that people use nowadays. I hate it, but it works.”

Pierce also told Cronin that the Vikings were supportive of his decision:

“For me, it wasn’t anything they didn’t know already (because of the physical/medical check he went through before signing in agency), so it was a lot easier for me to bring this up to them,” Pierce said, via ESPN. “They were super supportive and they understood where I was coming from.”

Vikings announce trade with Raiders for P.J. Hall called off

Breaking: Vikings announce that DT P.J. Hall failed his physical and reverts to the Raiders.

The Vikings received some bad news for their defensive line group when Michael Pierce opted out of the 2020 NFL season.

But the team was resilient. Minnesota went out and made a deal for a defensive tackle after that. The Vikings traded for former Raiders defensive tackle P.J. Hall, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Schefter reported that the Vikings traded a conditional seventh-round pick to the Raiders for Hall.

There were plenty of options for Hall on the Minnesota defensive line, but now it appears that none of them will happen.

The Vikings announced on Tuesday that Hall will revert back to Las Vegas. Hall failed his physical, according to the team, leading to the trade being called off.

Though Hall is not as big of a loss to the Vikings defensive line as Pierce, Hall gave the Vikings more versatility at a position that is suddenly lacking in proven starters.

P.J. Hall finished with a better PFF grade than Michael Pierce in 2019

Hall will likely replace Pierce in the lineup as Pierce has opted out of the 2020 season.

The Vikings reportedly traded conditional seventh-round pick to the Raiders in exchange for defensive tackle P.J. Hall.

The reason why the Vikings are making this trade is because Michael Pierce, the team’s big free-agent signing, will opt out of the 2020 season due to severe asthma.

Hall isn’t the name that Pierce is, but Pro Football Focus says that his production in 2019 was actually better than Pierce’s.

Per PFF, Hall finished with a grade of 70.2, a mark that ranked 40th in the NFL. Pierce, meanwhile, finished with a grade of 69.1, ranking 46th in the league.

Does that mean Hall is a better player than Pierce? I would say probably not considering Hall was on the verge of being released by the Raiders while Pierce signed a 3-year, $27 million deal with the Vikings.

If Hall is on the Vikings’ 53-man roster for six games, Minnesota will owe Oakland the seventh-round pick.

I would say that’s a pretty likely scenario.

Report: Vikings trade for former Raiders DT P.J. Hall

Minnesota has traded for former Raiders defensive tackle P.J. Hall, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Minnesota received some bad news earlier this offseason when defensive tackle Michael Pierce opted out of the 2020 season.

Pierce, coming over after a successful stint with the Ravens, has been a big-bodied run-stopping defensive tackle who was also arguably Minnesota’s biggest free agency signing of the year.

Minnesota had some interesting options at defensive tackle for 2020, but none that were as solidified as Pierce has been for Baltimore. And now, the Vikings have reportedly added a possible replacement in free agency.

Minnesota has traded for former Raiders defensive tackle P.J. Hall, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Schefter reported that the Vikings are trading a conditional seventh-round pick to the Raiders for Hall. The Raiders will receive the pick if Hall is on the 53-man roster for 6 games, according to a source of Schefter’s.

Hall reportedly comes to the Vikings after two seasons with the Raiders. He played in at least 14 games in each of those years. This past season, Hall had 26 total tackles, five tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.