Michael Pierce has reportedly agreed to terms with the Vikings this offseason, coming over as the presumptive replacement to Linval Joseph.

However, Pierce will compete for the starting spots with Armon Watts, Jaleel Johnson and Shamar Stephen, who was one of the main starters in 2019-20. The other main starter, Linval Joseph, has reportedly signed with the Chargers, so it seems like there will be at least one new starter on the interior of the defensive line next season.

One thing Vikings fans should know is that Pierce is a big body in the middle. Listed at 6 feet and 340 pounds, Pierce can clog up holes and force double teams, when speedier rushers, such as Danielle Hunter, can find openings in the opponents’ offensive line.

Though Pierce’s weight can be a strength, it’s also been a concern at times. The Star Tribune reported that Pierce mostly played at about 340 pounds in 2017 and 2018, but Baltimore coach John Harbaugh held him out of the team’s minicamp last year when he was close to 390 pounds.

However, Pierce shed some weight, cutting 30 pounds in five weeks, and was back on the field in training camp, per the Star Tribune.

It will be interesting to see how Pierce adjusts to a 4-3 scheme, considering he was a nose tackle with the Ravens. It shouldn’t be a huge difference, and in some cases it could be easier, because there are more down linemen who will have gap responsibility, as opposed to those gaps being allocated to linebackers at the second level. Although, it is a different role in a different scheme, and Pierce will have to adjust.

Pierce had 19 solo tackles and .5 sacks for the Ravens in 2019-20. It will be interesting to see whether those numbers go up or down with Minnesota. If the Vikings end up drafting a more finesse defensive lineman in the draft, Pierce could come out for obvious passing downs, and that player could come in. That also might be the plan right now, considering players like Watts are smaller than Pierce but better at rushing the passer.

There’s also the possibility that the Vikings bring in the personnel to play a 3-4 scheme. Pierce fits into a 3-4, and Minnesota recently added Dom Capers to its coaching staff. You can read about some of the history behind Capers’ time with the Packers here.

It’s hard to say whether Pierce’s reported addition is foreshadowing a schematic change or Pierce will be the one making the adjustment at the moment. It also could be a mixture of both. Either way, Vikings fans should be excited for his arrival. Here’s a highlight tape.

Linval Joseph is reportedly out, but Michael Pierce is reportedly in.

A source told NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport that Pierce agreed to a three-year deal with the Vikings that’s worth $27 million, with a max of $28 million.

The #Vikings agreed to terms former #Ravens DT Michael Pierce on a 3-year deal worth $27M, source said, with a max of $28M. He gets $18M guaranteed and is back in free agency at 30.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 18, 2020

The defensive line depth looked questionable after Joseph reportedly left the team for the Chargers, but Pierce adds all-important depth in his place.

Pierce had 35 total tackles and just .5 sacks. His stats don’t jump out, but Pro Football Focus is higher on him than you would think.

Pro Football Focus reported that Pierce earned a 69.1 grade (out of possible 100), and ranked No. 44 among interior defenders in 2019. PFF also reported that Pierce has yet to record a run defense grade below 70.8 in his four seasons in the NFL so far.

The Vikings fixed a lot of the depth problem at defensive tackle, and still have picks to add more pieces to the interior defensive line if need be. Overall, a good get.