Starting LB corps in 23

Who’s playing linebacker, anyway?

Whether it was age, scheme or both, the Vikings’ linebacking pair of Eric Kendricks and Jordan Hicks did not play up to the level that either player has produced in the past. Per PFF, they ranked 46th and 54th, respectively, out of 56 linebackers with at least 600 snaps in terms of QB rating allowed on passes into their coverage.

While both graded well against the run and had effective pass rushing rates (despite the shortage of blitzes), the Vikings did not spend the fourth most cap space in the NFL on the linebacker position in 2022 (per OverTheCap) just to slow down opposing running games.

Kendricks and Hicks are currently scheduled to cost about $17 million on the 2023 salary cap. Cutting both of them would create $14.5 million, getting the Vikings more than halfway to cap compliance in one fell swoop.

Considering Kendricks has been healthy and played at an All-Pro level just two years ago, the Vikings could consider retaining him for the final year of his contract. The problem, however, is that he would have to play on his $11.4 million cap hit unless they added void years to his contract or gave him an extension. Neither of those options are favorable for a 31-year-old player coming off a down year.

But releasing Kendricks and Hicks would leave the Vikings with around 2,000 snaps to replace.

We probably have the answer to half of those snaps in 2022 third-round pick Brian Asamoah. The speedy rookie played 121 plays in relief and produced the highest PFF grade among first-year linebackers (insert small sample size asterisk here). The majority of his action came on special teams, where he played 282 snaps and received strong reviews from ST coach Matt Daniels. You can use your favorite pen to write Asamoah into the staring lineup in 2023.

Along with who else, though? The only other linebackers on the roster are Troy Dye and William Kwenkeu. It’s hard to imagine the Vikings would draft someone with a high selection to start alongside Asamoah. That leaves the free agent market to find a veteran partner if they move on from Kendricks and Hicks.

There are 21 free agents who played 50% of snaps or more last season, giving the Vikings options. The question is whether they should look to sign a quality young player like Indy’s Bobby Okereke (27) to a long-ish term deal and lock in the position or take a stab at a reclamation project like former first-round pick Devin Bush or get an older stop-gap like Denver’s Alex Singleton (30) or Detroit’s Alex Anzalone (29).

The Vikings’ approach might depend on their choice at defensive coordinator and whether they stick with a Fangio-inspired system or revamp the entire thing. Is the LB position valued heavily like in Mike Zimmer’s defense or are the linebackers just a cog in the machine that can be easily replaced at a cheaper price?

There are other questions as well: If they don’t cut Kendricks or Hicks or both, where will the cap space come from? How certain are they that Asamoah is ready? Is there a backup plan in case he struggles?

For a position that only uses two players these days, the Vikings have a lot of decisions to make.