Danielle Hunter announced on Twitter Wednesday morning that his neck surgery was successful and he’s looking forward to the 2021 season.
Not having Hunter’s pass rushing ability has hurt the Vikings tremendously through their first six games of the season. He totaled 14.5 sacks in both 2018 and 2019, and will now have to wait until next season to get after opposing team’s quarterbacks.
The Vikings were already thin at the defensive end position and they traded away Yannick Ngakoue last week. Although it might not look pretty over the back half of the season, the Vikings have some young players that will benefit from gaining reps along their defensive line.
Two names to watch as the season progresses are Ifeadi Odenigbo and D.J. Wonnum. They are both young, unproven pass rushers who have the traits to be a legitimate starter for the Vikings in the future. Getting them as many reps as possible this year will only benefit the state of this unit in 2021.