4 NFL players that would be irreplaceable for COVID opt-out
By Dustin Baker
4. Danielle Hunter, EDGE, Minnesota Vikings
Some folks in the North Star State will assert that signal-caller Kirk Cousins is more irreplaceable than teammate Danielle Hunter, but the 2017 Minnesota Vikings showed they could win with a backup quarterback nobody thought was very good — until he was.
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On July 27, newly-added free agent nose tackle Michael Pierce opted out of the 2020 season leaving a sizable hole in the interior of the Vikings defensive line. This is not to say head coach Mike Zimmer cannot fill the crater, but it will not be painless. Pierce was slated to replace the departed-for-Los-Angeles nose tackle Linval Joseph this September.
Now more than ever, the Vikings will need Danielle Hunter on their defensive line for stability. Minnesota also lost edge rusher Everson Griffen to free agency, or so it seems. There are whispers that Griffen may still rejoin the team at a fair price. If he does not, the Vikings will employ a defensive line that looks rather unconventional by its recent standards.
The Vikings need the wholesale chaos Hunter provides. The team is employing an unusually young group of cornerbacks and hence will need all the little perks up from defensively it can get. And, Hunter is more than a perk now that Pierce will be a non-factor; he’s a necessity.
After all, only Aaron Donald and Chandler Jones have accrued more sacks than Danielle Hunter during the last two seasons.