NFL Notes: Vikings Building Depth Along Front Four

Erasmus James is back on the field again following a long battle back from a 2006 knee injury.  His return to the starting lineup won’t be easy with the development of Ray Edwards.  Edwards flashed natural pass rush ability and athleticism coming off the perimeter last season and has built upon this during the spring and into training camp.  Edwards has continued to develop as a pass rusher and has added bulk to become respectable against the run.  Edwards has a good opportunity to post double digit sacks. 

In other news with the Vikings, not many people are talking about the addition of former Dolphin defensive tackle Fred Evans.  Keep an eye on this move.  Evans was let go by Miami after a series of off-field incidents, but has tremendous potential.  His blend of size and power makes him an ideal fit to significantly upgrade their interior rotation behind Pat Williams and Kevin Williams.  Evans plays with a lot of intensity and shows good on-field smarts for a young veteran.  He’ll learn a lot from Pat Williams over the next several months and could step in the starting lineup in 2008 if they failed to re-sign Williams. 

Bengals: Losing rookie Kenny Irons to a knee injury was a blow for the Bengals’ at running back.  Rudi Johnson is expected to have another solid year pounding away at opposing defenses, but the Bengals wanted a versatile back who could push Johnson and enhance their depth – especially with the uncertain future of Chris Perry.  Unheralded Kenny Watson will again be called upon to fill a key role in the backfield.  Watson lacks the speed to bring diversity to the backfield, but is a tough inside runner who is also very efficient in the passing game.  Quincy Wilson will also have an opportunity to establish himself in a backup role.  Wilson is a very tough runner between the tackles, but lacks speed and needs a lot of polish in the passing game. 

Jaguars: The addition of veteran Sammy Knight was a very smart move by the Jacksonville front office.  The Jaguars decided to go with youth at safety with Reggie Nelson and Gerald Sensabaugh.  Both bring good athleticism and the ability to make plays on the ball, but lack experience.  Josh Gattis and Nick Sorensen have failed to distinguish themselves as backups and also lack experience.  Knight has very limited athletic skills, but is a savvy veteran who is like another coach on the field.  Expect Knight to provide strong support and insurance in the secondary for the Jaguars.

Jets: Sione Pouha has been a washout prior to this season for the Jets and missed last season with a knee injury.  But keep an eye on Pouha throughout the preseason.  Pouha was envisioned as a future nose tackle a few years ago with his blend of size and natural strength at the point of attack, but he played more too passively on the field.  Coming off the knee injury, Pouha has finally awaken after reporting to camp in tremendous shape and an improved mindset.  Pouha still enough bulk to develop at the nose tackle position, where the Jets have struggled to clog gaps against the run.  Dewayne Robertson has worked hard enough to be decent, but is more of a one-gap defender than a nose tackle type, which has created some problems for the Jets in establishing a strong run defense.  

Cardinals: I believe Arizona will have a tough time replacing Chike Okeafor, who is out for the season following a torn biceps tendon.  Okeafor was a proven veteran pass rusher, but also brought a solid level of professionalism to the defense.  Darryl Blackstock and Calvin Pace will attempt at replacing Okeafor.  Blackstock has natural quickness off the edge and has added bulk during the off-season, but has a lot to prove in developing into a bonafide pass rusher and making adjustments when taking on blockers.  Pace is a former defensive end who runs well and has upfield quickness, but lacks intensity and has struggled at the point of attack in the past.  The Cardinals head into the season with a lot of questions about their pass rush.  Their only established pass rusher at this point – Bert Berry – has experienced tough luck with injuries the past couple years and now has reached age 32.  On a positive note, Berry has shed some weight with the switch to rush linebacker and has been moving around very well during training camp, but must prove he can still play a 16-game season. 

 

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