Viktor
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- Mar 19, 2019
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With the NFL Scouting Combine in the rearview mirror, 2020 free agency is just around the corner. That period will officially begin at 3 p.m. (CT) on March 18 when the new league year begins.
Throughout the week, Eric Smith, Craig Peters and I will continue diving into Minnesota's current roster status by position. We'll offer a refresher on which Vikings are scheduled to become free agents, where potential needs might be and note players from other teams that are set to become free agents.
Up next? The defensive tackles …
UNDER CONTRACT:
Jalyn Holmes, Jaleel Johnson, Linval Joseph, Hercules Mata'afa, Shamar Stephen & Armon Watts
2019 Stats (tackles are team stats)
Holmes: 6 games; 6 tackles (3 solo), 1 tackle for loss
Johnson: 16 games (3 starts); 42 tackles (21 solo), 3.5 sacks, 5 tackles for loss, 8 quarterback hurries, 1 pass defensed
Joseph: 13 games (13 starts); 54 tackles (31 solo), 3.0 sacks, 6 tackles for loss, 15 quarterback hurries, 1 forced fumble
Mata'afa: 6 games; 2 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 4 quarterback hurries, 1 fumble recovery, 1 pass defensed
Stephen: 15 games (15 starts); 36 tackles (21 solo), 1.0 sack, 3 tackles for loss, 8 quarterback hurries, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 3 passes defensed
Watts: 7 games (1 start); 14 tackles (2 solo), 1.5 sacks, 1 tackle for loss, 4 quarterback hurries, 1 pass defensed
The Vikings brought back Stephen, who played for Minnesota from 2014-17 before joining the Seahawks in 2018, to start at 3-technique beside Joseph at nose tackle. The duo started the majority of Minnesota's games, but the Vikings also rotated in younger players on the defensive line. Johnson, a 2017 draft pick, played a career-high 37 percent of the team's defensive snaps in 2019.
Minnesota selected Watts in the sixth round last spring, and the former Arkansas lineman got in on 121 (11 percent) of the Vikings defensive plays during his rookie campaign.
SCHEDULED TO BECOME A FREE AGENT:
All five of Minnesota's defensive tackles are currently under contract.