Tag: Za’Darius Smith

CBS Sports has the Vikings selecting Myles Murphy in latest 2023 mock draft

If the Vikings go edge rusher in the NFL draft, it would be the first time since 2005

The Minnesota Vikings are heading into the offseason not knowing who their new defensive coordinator will be yet, but there are still plenty of needs on that side of the ball. That need will be accellerated if the Vikings decide to move on from either Za’darius Smith or Danielle Hunter this offseason. This would leave an edge rusher as a need on the defensive line.

Chris Trapasso from CBS Sports released his latest mock draft on Wednesday and had the Vikings selecting Clemson edge Myles Murphy

“Murphy has an NFL body and stars against the run. He can learn the intricacies of rushing the passer from Za’Darius Smith and Danielle Hunter early in his NFL career.”

While Murphy is an intriguing prospect with a lot of upside and potential. This pick seems a bit premature without knowing what Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will be doing with Smith or Hunter. It would also be the first time that the Vikings would have taken an edge rusher in the first two rounds since Erasmus James in 2005.

Regardless of what happens with those two, if the Vikings end up snagging Murphy, they’ll have a legit pass rusher who could turn into one of the best in the NFL.

10 Vikings who could be salary cap casualties

The Vikings will have some hard decisions to make with the salary cap

With the Minnesota Vikings season over, it’s time to face realities about where this team is going.

The Vikings decided to go somewhat all-in on making the 2022 team competitive for a playoff spot and they won the NFC North division title. Unfortunately, they now sit in a less-than-ideal spot with the salary cap. They are projected to be $24,431,507 over the salary cap for next season.

In order to get under the salary cap and make some moves in free agency, the Vikings will have to get creative. Here are 10 players they can cut to make their salary cap situation better.

Vikings vs. Giants: 4 bold predictions for Sunday’s Wild Card

Our staff each made a bold prediction for Sunday’s Vikings vs. Giants Wild Card game

The Wild Card round is upon us and we had a rarity in that all six games are rematches from the regular season, including the Minnesota Vikings taking on the New York Giants.

These two teams played each other on Christmas Eve where the Vikings came out victorious on a 61-yard field goal by kicker Greg Joseph to win 27-24.

Even though we are just three weeks removed from Christmas Eve, these two teams won’t be exactly the same. Because of that, there are opportunities to take advantage of the other with knowledge that you didn’t have before.

Our staff each made a bold prediction ahead of Sunday’s Wild Card round

6 Vikings players that are key to a victory vs. Giants

These players are essential for a Vikings wild card victory

The Minnesota Vikings are set to host the New York Giants on Sunday afternoon and it should be a tremendous atmosphere for a fanbase that hasn’t hosted a playoff game since the Minneapolis Miracle.

In order for the Vikings to advance to their first divisional round since 2019, they will need to beat a Giants team that they narrowly beat on Christmas Eve with a 27-24 victory.

For the Vikings to get that done, the will need some great performances from their key players. Here are six players that need to have a great performance for the Vikings to win on Sunday.

Vikings PFF grades: Where does the defense rank after the regular season

Despite their lack of unit success, the Vikings’ defense ranked highly with individual merits

The Minnesota Vikings finished the regular season with a 13-4 record but aren’t getting much respect across the league. One place where they do get respect is in the PFF grades.

Throughout the season, we have tracked how the Vikings have been ranked in terms of PFF grades and they have consistently ranked well per position.

As the regular season has just wrapped up, we reviewed the offense and here is how the defense finished at each position.

Vikings have multiple starters inactive in Week 18 vs. Bears

The Vikings are treating this game similar to a preseason game

The Minnesota Vikings only have a small amount to play for and that hinges on a San Francisco 49ers loss to the Arizona Cardinals. With the Chicago Bears not playing quarterback Justin Fields, the Vikings have “in theory” an easy matchup.

With that in mind, they aren’t taking any chances and that is reflected in who the Vikings have named as their inactives.

Initially, the Vikings had announced that outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith would be traveling separately from the team due to a personal issue.

Safety Harrison Smith was ruled out on Saturday after he experienced some knee soreness after practice on Friday.

The rest of the list isn’t much of a suprise.

    • Cornerback Cameron Dantzler is still dealing with his ankle after suffering a high ankle sprain against the Washington Commanders.
    • After being injured, defensive end Ross Blacklock is healthy but the Vikings continue to make him inactive.
    • Both center Garrett Bradbury and defensive end James Lynch continue to be out with their respective injuries.
    • Linebacker Brian Asamoah likely would play in a normal week, but will miss Sunday’s game since it has little consequences.

Vikings Harrison Smith ruled out for Week 18 vs. Bears

The Vikings will be without their starting safety

When the final injury report came out, Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith was nowhere to be found. On Saturday afternoon, the team announced that Smith would miss Sunday’s game with a knee injury.

He practiced in full all week but experienced some lingering knee soreness after Friday’s practice and the Vikings decided that it was best to hold him out with the playoff already next weekend.

Along with that, outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith, who was listed as questionable with a personal matter, won’t travel with the team, but instead travel on his own. All signs are that he should play on Sunday against the Chicago Bears. It’s not often that players travel separately from the team, but it does happen when extenuating circumstances require it.

Multiple Vikings have chances for incentives in Week 18 vs. Chicago

There are multiple Vikings who have chances at incentives this Sunday

After Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears, contract incentives will be locked in. If you performed well enough in certain areas, there is financial compensation in it for the players.

Depending on what the milestone is, it would be determined as either likely to be earned or unlikely to be earned. Ones that are deemed likely to be earned are counted towards that season’s salary cap and if they are earned when they are unlikely, they count towards the next season’s salary cap.

This Minnesota Vikings team has multiple players that can earn more money by hitting different incentives.

Vikings vs. Bears final injury report: 2 out, 3 questionable

The Vikings officially have two out on Sunday

The Minnesota Vikings didn’t have a lot of issues on their injury report and things got cleared up on Friday. They did see one player added to the report listed as questionable.

  • Center Garrett Bradbury was declared out for the fifth-consecutive game with a back injury.
  • Defensive end James Lynch is out for the second-consecutive game with a shoulder injury.
  • Outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith was added to the injury report. He is listed as questionable with a personal matter. He didn’t practice on Friday.
  • Cornerback Cameron Dantzler was also added to the injury report as he was limited on Friday with his lingering ankle injury.
  • Linebacker Brian Asamoah continued to be limited with his knee injury and was listed as questionable.

The Bears have three players out in quarterback Justin Fields, cornerback Jaylon Jones and linebacker Sterling Weatherford. They also have three players questionable with defensive lineman Angelo Blackson, cornerback Kyler Gordon and defensive lineman Terrell Lewis.

The game kicks off at noon on Sunday.

Vikings vs. Packers: The good, bad and ugly of Week 17’s PFF grades

The grades have some intrigue this week

There is no sugarcoating the Minnesota Vikings’ poor performance in a 41-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field other than extremely disappointing.

The game started off well with Josh Metellus getting a blocked punt just one week after blocking one against the New York Giants. After not being able to do anything after not being able to get in the end zone after getting the ball at the two-yard line.

The PFF grades are out and they paint quite the picture for what the game really was for the Vikings.