Minnesota has often employed a nickel defense in the past, but what will the team do after losing a good number of cornerbacks?
Trae Waynes, Xavier Rhodes and Mackensie Alexander are all gone. Alexander was the team’s nickel corner in 2019, helping the Vikings play that package and utilize two linebackers.
This is where the linebacker position comes in. The two linebackers on the field in Minnesota’s nickel formation were typically Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr. Now, if Minnesota uses the nickel as much as it has in the past, more will be asked of Barr and Kendricks in coverage, because the cornerback group is so young.
There’s also another point that has to be considered with the defense: What if the Vikings start using the 4-3 base more than the nickel? If cornerbacks Jeff Gladney and Cameron Dantzler struggle out of the gate, I could see the team using a system that fits its personnel rather than force players, not yet ready for the NFL, onto the field. That system could be a 4-3, with three linebackers.
Here are three storylines surrounding the linebacking corps: