According to Pro Football Focus, he’s tied with the fifth-highest pass rushing grade in the league since 2017. And with the help of all this added pressure along the defensive line, don’t be surprised if he has a big year in sacks as everyone will rejoice that he’s back! Blogging The Boys, a Dallas Cowboys fan community, How the Everson Griffen signing could help DeMarcus Lawrence return to another 14.5 sacks season, Three players outside the organization that could help the Cowboys turn their season around. border-radius:4px; With Robert Quinn, the Cowboys had a speed rusher, a guy who flashed around the edge with great bend. Everson Griffen (born December 22, 1987) is an American football defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). NFL and PFF player stats for Minnesota Vikings ED Danielle Hunter on Pro Football Focus. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. The pass rushing presence of Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe is also going to keep the area congested. color:#fff; Coincidence? }. Everson Griffen has voided the final three years of his contract with the Vikings and will enter free agency, ... finishing tied for 26th out of 108 qualifying edge rushers in PFF's grades. He also loves to spin inside obstructing the quarterback’s ability to step up. The Vikings' superstar defensive end won't play a snap in 2020 due to a herniated disc in his neck. Register today for free or log in to access this premium article. color:#fff; } Now a free agent, the four-time Pro Bowler tells Tom Pelissero, It was great to have such a quick edge rusher on the right side, and when it comes to speed, Quinn’s got a great chance to get there first. Which of these issues are the Cowboys biggest weakness going forward? The Vikings can also get a good look at Jordan Brailford, who they added from the WFT practice squad. The Vikings still have plenty more moves to make to continue clearing up cap space, but this is the first domino to fall. DeMarcus Lawrence is an outstanding defensive lineman and is every bit worth the five-year, $105 million contract extension he signed last offseason. Weekly Cowboys Poll: Cowboys biggest weakness to this point. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. However, it's also possible Griffen ultimately decides to explore a change of scenery, especially if another franchise offers him more money than the Vikings. opacity:.9; It was the second-highest sack total of Quinn’s career, trailing only his 19.5 sack season he had back in 2013. The Vikings have some major decisions to make about the direction of their team going forward. color:#fff !important; opacity:1; Everson Griffen profile page, biographical information, injury history and news Sure, but make no mistake about it, Hunter benefits greatly by having Griffen bull-rush his way into the pocket of the quarterback. And just in case you’re not sold on PFF grades, keep in him mind that he’s in some pretty good company there so they must be doing something right. The Vikings dealt Yannick Ngakoue and might not be done making moves ahead of the 2020 trade deadline. After missing significant time in two of his first three seasons in the league, Lawrence has shown what he’s capable of as he’s now had three straight seasons where he’s played in every game. According to Cronin, there is "a belief that Minnesota will work out a way to keep him around at a reduced price." display:inline-block; src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=674090812743125&ev=PageView&noscript=1"/>, .promo_edge { Premiere edge rushers cost a pretty penny, that’s just the nature of the NFL. This news doesn't necessarily mean Griffen won't be in a  Vikings uniform for an 11th straight year. text-decoration:none; In Minnesota, these antics worked quite favorable for their left defensive end Danielle Hunter. Griffen was productive even in his tenth season, finishing tied for 26th out of 108 qualifying edge rushers in PFF's grades. padding:15px; The Vikings are 1-5 and this might not be the last player they trade away ahead of the deadline. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, please call 1-800-GAMBLER. } The 1-5 Vikings could look to become sellers prior to the Nov. 3 NFL trade deadline. He followed that up with a Pro Bowl season in 2018 with 10.5 sacks, but last year his sack totals dropped to just 5.0 on the season. Cowboys news: Cowboys will be without starting RG Zack Martin in week seven. In 2017, he had an All-Pro year registering 14.5 sacks. DeMarcus Lawrence had a All-Pro season in 2017 when he recorded 14.5 sacks, but his sack totals have recently declined. Everson Griffen has voided the final three years of his contract with the Vikings and will enter free agency, according to ESPN's Courtney Cronin. For Lawrence, it should be business as usual, as he’s going to be awesome. The Star Tribune's Ben Goessling mentioned the Seahawks as a possibility. Everson Griffen, on the other hand, is more of a power rusher, and he’s got a knack for flushing the quarterback out of the pocket. If Griffen were to leave, the Vikings would likely look to replace him with 2019 breakout player Ifeadi Odenigbo. The Vikings could desperately use an upgrade at guard, but does that make sense in a lost season? And if a quarterback is forced to scurry away from him, there’s a good chance he could head right into the arms of DeMarcus Lawrence. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. Griffen returned to the Vikings on a restructured deal in 2019, with three benchmarks that would allow him to opt out after this season: 6.5 sacks and playing on 57 percent of the team's defensive snaps. Griffen has said before that he wants to be a Viking for life, and could return at a lower cap hit to give the Vikings stability on the defensive line. Check out today’s latest and greatest news surrounding America’s team! All those guys are very wealthy players, including Joey Bosa ($27 million annually) and Myles Garrett ($25 million) who just signed new deals this offseason. Quinn led the Cowboys with 11.5 sacks last year. This service is intended for adult audiences. Latest on DE Everson Griffen including news, stats, videos, highlights and more on NFL.com The pairing of Lawrence and Griffen will help give the Cowboys a strong edge presence, but Griffen won’t be the only teammate helping disrupt the flow of traffic in the backfield. Griffen, a fourth round pick by the Vikings in 2010, has reportedly had some interest in "bringing his career full circle" and playing for Pete Carroll, who was his coach at USC from 2007 through 2009. With eight sacks and 78 percent of snaps played, Griffen cleared those totals with room to spare. .promo_edge:after { And one of those reasons is the changing of the guard at right defensive end. opacity:.9; This has some questioning Lawrence’s ability. Free agent Stephen Weatherly could also be brought back to compete for snaps at defensive end. With Griffen entering free agency, the Vikings save over $13 million, getting them under the projected salary cap for the first time this offseason, while eating roughly $800,000 in dead money. Back in 2018, Everson Griffen's bizarre and frightening behavior became public spectacle. background:#ce1141; background:#ce1141; While it doesn’t take inflated sack numbers to tell us how special Lawrence is, there are reasons to be optimistic about him having a huge rebound year statistically. DISCLAIMER: This site and the products offered are for entertainment purposes only, and there is no gambling offered on this site. No guarantees are made for any specific outcome. These two together are quite the tandem. That's because the salary-cap troubled Vikings wouldn't have been able to afford the $13.9 million cap hit for the 32-year-old Griffen in 2020. As expected, he has now chosen to void the remaining years of his contract and enter free agency. The backup safety will miss the remainder of the 2020 season, which could become important if Anthony Harris is traded. width:100%; Teamwork makes the dream work. The final injury report for the Cowboys and Washington this week. Point-counterpoint: Looking for culprits as the Cowboys implode. Griffen was one of only two players in the NFL last season to have a player-controlled void in his contract. background:#ce1141; Which player would you most like to see the Cowboys acquire? Cowboys @ Football Team final injury report: Zack Martin officially ruled out. If he hadn't done so, the Vikings likely would've been forced to release Griffen, a well-liked defensive end who is their longest tenured player and serves as one of the team's primary emotional leaders. The Vikings' breakout rookie receiver was the NFL's best first-year player last weekend. After leaks about player frustrations with the coaching staff, our dueling writers debate who’s at fault for the Cowboys woes. Even with a low sack total a year ago, he’s still one of the league’s top defensive linemen. A blowout loss to the winless Falcons causes the Vikings to drop in the weekly power rankings. In the 2019 Regular Season, only one starting edge defender duo combined for 150+ pressures:Danielle Hunter and Everson Griffen #Vikings #SKOL pic.twitter.com/D22wydKewt. Here is an example of Griffen powering through one of the game’s best left tackle, forcing the quarterback to slide to his right, and right into the arms of Hunter. Here are his sack totals these past two seasons playing opposite Griffen: Hmm, what a convenient number that turned out to be. The Bills, with his former head coach Leslie Frazier at defensive coordinator, could be another possibility. It takes two to tango... or something like that.