The 2024 Minnesota Vikings defense will look slightly different when they take the field this fall. The Vikings lost vets like Jordan Hicks, Danielle Hunter, and D.J. Wonnum. But the team brass did a great job at filling the roster with quality players and drafted some talent as well.
Minnesota signed two free agent edge rushers — former Dolphin Andrew Van Ginkel and former Texan Jonathan Greenard — to fill the void left by the losses of Hunter, Wonnum, and Marcus Davenport.
Van Ginkel had 69 tackles and a career-high six sacks in 2023 with Miami. Greenard also had a career year. The former third-round pick had 52 tackles and 12.5 sacks in ’23, topping his previous best of eight sacks in 2021.
With both having career years last season, Pro Football Focus had both of them listed in their top 32 edge rusher rankings. You can find a couple of other familiar names on the list as well.
Van Ginkel came in at No. 24.
Van Ginkel had a career year in almost every category in 2023, earning a 91.2 overall grade with a 90.6 pass-rush grade. His 53 quarterback pressures and 18.1% pass-rush win rate were both by far the best marks of his career. We’ll see if he can continue that impactful play with the Minnesota Vikings.
Greenard was ranked at No. 30.
Greenard enjoyed his best season as a pro in 2023, with a 78.2 overall grade thanks to a 73.2 pass-rush grade. He finished the year with 12.5 sacks and a 12.8% pass-rush win rate. He’ll now look to build on that as a member of the Minnesota Vikings.
It’s worth noting that Hunter was ranked at No. 16. Although he didn’t play much last season, Davenport was ranked No. 32 overall.
