Linebacker Puzzle

The Green Bay Packers released linebacker Desmond Bishop last Monday. He had a visit scheduled with the Minnesota Vikings the very next day. The Vikings immediate interest in Bishop was a surprise to no one. The Vikings real need at middle linebacker made them the team that most thought would be interested in Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o in April's NFL Draft. If not Te'o, anyone from LSU's Kevin Minter to Kansas St.'s Arthur Brown was a likely choice of the Vikings early in that draft. None of that happened. They did select Penn St.'s Michael Mauti in the seventh round. Mauti is actually a terrific football player but he's recovering from his third ACL reconstruction in his college career. If not for the injuries he would likely have been a first or second round selection. He might be the future answer at middle linebacker but it's a stretch to see him as the answer this year. Minus the addition of a ready-to-play middle linebacker in the draft, the Vikings moved two-year starter at weak side linebacker Erin Henderson to the position. He's been pushing for the move for a while. He's been working all offseason with that switch in mind. He's added size and strength to be that sturdy force against the run and maintain the movement to drop into coverage. I like this position switch for Erin Henderson. The move opens up Henderson's former linebacker spot. In the fourth round of the draft the Vikings selected Mauti's Penn St. teammate Gerald Hodges. A former safety, I really like his potential. I like his potential so much that I don't really mind that he might be forced to live up to that potential immediately as a starter.

Erin Henderson is a solid linebacker. Gerald Hodges has the talent and a bright future if he plays to that talent. Henderson is still an unknown at middle linebacker. Hodges is still an unknown as a rookie. The Vikings are strong at strong side linebacker with Chad Greenway. He's a leader, always around the ball, and a tackling machine. The Vikings would head into the 2013 with 2/3 of their linebacker group being an unknown. That's quite a gamble. The interest in Desmond Bishop is a pretty good indication that the Vikings aren't sure that they are willing to take that gamble. With Bishop, Henderson likely moves back to the weak side. I doubt that he'd be happy with the move but he's always been a team player. A linebacker group of Greenway-Bishop-Henderson is a real solid group. It also eases the pressure and allows for the development of Hodges. Going with Bishop is the safe route. It's probably the smart route.

There's certainly no guarantees with Bishop. He missed the entire 2012 season with a serious hamstring injury. He's supposedly healthy. He says that he's fine and the Vikings did put him through a workout and a physical. The word around the campfire is that Bishop is deciding between offers from the Vikings, Kansas City Chiefs, and New York Giants. If that's true, the Vikings must have been satisfied enough in the physical condition of Bishop that they offered him a contract. Personally, I think that this linebacker situation is a win-win. I like both options. With Bishop, the team has a solid, veteran linebacker group. Without Bishop, the team has a young, talented linebacker group. The former is the safer route. The latter is a gamble that could pay off big. Adding Bishop, doesn't seal Henderson's fate as the Vikings middle linebacker. He wants the job and he's talented. He'll compete for the job if given the chance. Competition within the team makes the entire team better. We'll know in a few days, with Desmond Bishop's decision, the pieces that will make up the Minnesota Vikings linebacker puzzle. A puzzle that should be one of the most watched and most interesting at training camp.