Vikings’ new star could already be in danger of losing his job

The Minnesota Vikings lost superstar edge rusher Danielle Hunter to free agency in March, and if that wasn’t bad enough, they also saw fellow pass rusher D.J. Wonnum depart.

Hunter and Wonnum combined for 24.5 sacks in 2023, so the Vikings were going to have to find a way to replace that production.

Minnesota answered quickly, signing Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel. Greenard broke out with the Houston Texans last season, and Van Ginkel flashed some considerable talent with the Miami Dolphins.

But could Van Ginkel already be in danger of being relegated to a smaller role just a month-and-a-half after joining the Vikings?

Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport thinks so.

In a piece where Davenport named eight starters whose jobs are in jeopardy after the NFL Draft, he listed Van Ginkel as a candidate.

He mentions that after trading up one spot to grab quarterback J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick, Minnesota traded back into the first round to nab University of Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner at No. 17.

Turner was considered by many to be the best pass rusher in the draft, and some felt he would be the first defensive player off the board. Instead, he slipped, and the Vikings pounced.

Given Turner’s supreme talent, Davenport notes that Van Ginkel could be the odd man out. That doesn’t necessarily mean that he won’t play. He almost certainly will. However, Davenport thinks he may end up having to settle for a complementary role.

Van Ginkel is coming off of a 2023 campaign in which he racked up 69 tackles, six sacks, an interception, a fumble recovery, eight passes defended and a defensive touchdown.

The 28-year-old, who played his college football at the University of Wisconsin, was selected by the Dolphins in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

He had a couple of decent seasons in 2020 and 2021, totaling 9.5 sacks between those two years, but he then logged just a half of a sack in 2022 before breaking out last season.

We’ll see how the Vikings manage Van Ginkel’s reps in 2024.