Breaking news: Minnesota Vikings has confirm a new signing

Following the game, Hicks was brought to the hospital and underwent a procedure that will prevent him from playing this week when the Vikings visit the Broncos in Denver. Although the exact duration of his absence is unknown, the signing of linebacker Anthony Barr on Monday afternoon raised the possibility that the Vikings, who were a part of the Dallas Cowboys’ roster from 2014 to 2021, will be facing a lengthy absence.

Even without their top wide receiver Justin Jefferson and without starting quarterback Kirk Cousins and starting receiver KJ Osborn for the last two games, the Vikings have already managed to win five straight games. They now have to move forward without their defensive signal caller, who was in the midst of a career comeback and was crucial to Brian Flores’ defense taking off.

Hicks was a strong playmaker and coverage linebacker in his early years with the Philadelphia Eagles, intercepting seven passes in his first two seasons and earning above-average coverage grades from PFF in every year from 2015 to 2018. His role evolved to become more of a blitzer after he signed his second contract, a $36 million agreement with the Cardinals. Although he put pressure on the team, his coverage and overall grade performance declined in the Cards’ system.

The veteran linebacker performed admirably as a run defender last season under Ed Donatell, finishing 28th out of 52 linebackers by PFF. This is impressive for a player who committed to a two-year, $10 million contract. However, with Eric Kendricks out of the picture this year, he has assumed a larger role. Hicks has his highest rating since leaving Philadelphia and is currently ranked as the 16th best linebacker in the NFL.

While Hicks’ grade can reflect some aspects of his game, such as how his play has been a major factor in the Vikings’ tremendous improvement against the run, it is unable to convey the full impact he has had on the defense as a whole. Flores has a group that is capable of changing into a drop-eight coverage unit or an aggressive, blitzing squad at any time. It doesn’t occur on its own. The middle linebacker is referred to as the defense’s quarterback for a reason.

It’s going to be really big, according to O’Connell. “It is impossible to express how crucial [Hicks] has been to our defensive strategy and his communication style. played us a ton of snaps and helped us

Ivan Pace Jr., a rookie, will temporarily assume Hicks’ duties. The coaching staff had high expectations for him coming out of camp in part because he called the plays so well during the preseason. However, given the intricacy of the offenses he will be facing during the regular season, that task becomes considerably more challenging. Furthermore, Pace Jr. might not be utilized in every situation that Hicks would be.

“We have options depending on the packages we deploy on the field, but it’s special because you don’t want to be in a scenario where you have to remove one helmet and give it to someone else to snap in and snap out,” O’Connell stated. “Ivan led those groups really well during the preseason, and that was one of the things that really stood out to us. He’s had to work at it throughout the season, essentially on a spot duty basis. Gotta get him ready, then.

The Vikings have another possible option to handle defensive play calling while Hicks is sidelined with Barr’s signing. Although it appears unlikely that he will play against Denver this week, the 31-year-old could be able to manage the system in a few weeks as there is just one more game before the bye week.

Barr would be more valuable intellectually, but it’s still worth finding out where he might be physically. There had been rumors earlier in the year that he was going to sign with the Saints, but that agreement fell through and he was left without a place to call home. He played 608 snaps with the Cowboys and finished 38th overall in PFF rankings.

It’s interesting to note that Dallas did not use Barr much as a blitzer. Though Barr and Mike Zimmer occasionally disagreed with the media regarding how often he was used in the pass rush during his time with the Vikings, Barr consistently and successfully rushed the ball over the years. He had the sixth-most pressures as a linebacker in 2019 and the tenth-most in 2021.

Barr might have been drawn to Flores’ defense because it is well known that it is based on applying pressure. More than any other linebacker in the NFL, Hicks has already forced 93 passes on passers this season.

At this stage of the season, it would have been very difficult to find a better fitter than Barr.

Following their victory over the Saints, injuries are a common story for the Vikings. After suffering a concussion on Sunday, Alexander Mattison is still under protocol. O’Connell was unable to provide an exact availability for this week’s game against the Broncos. Myles Gaskin, who they had signed earlier in the season before he was selected by the Rams, returned to the team. It seems like they might have to rely a lot on Ty Chandler.

“I hope Alex will improve,” O’Connell remarked. “That’s kind of how our season has gone, from the standpoint of the receivers room or the offensive line, the quarterback position, and now the running backs, with Cam [Akers] last week and now Alex. I’m not sure what that implies for Sunday night. We are confident in our depth, and like many other positions this year, it will probably be put to the test.

Their deficiency in experience is immense. Over the past two years, Chandler has only carried the ball 29 times, while Kene Nwangwu has 24 career receptions. DeWayne McBride, a seventh-round selection, has spent the entire season on the practice squad, while Gaskin has attempted ten rushes since 2021.

Justin Jefferson’s situation is still unknown. O’Connell has been very reluctant to give a timetable for the return of his top receiver, and Jefferson stated last week that he won’t play until his hamstring injury is fully healed and there’s no risk of aggravating it again. After the Vikings defeated New Orleans, Jefferson tweeted that he was eager to get back on the field with his teammates.

“We’re going to give him more,” O’Connell declared. “He opened his window to get back on the practice field by handling the workload we gave him last week.” Throughout the week, we’ll see how that plays out; perhaps a little bit more here or there. Nobody wants to be out there more than Justin, and I know he does. However, we’re going to keep playing smart with Justin.