3 surprise cuts the Minnesota Vikings can make this offseason

1. LB Eric Kendricks

There is rising buzz about Kendricks’ future in Minnesota. NFL.com’s Cynthia Frelund pointed to him as a potential cap casualty, despite how good a player he is.

"Next Gen Stats and I both agree he’s a valuable piece. In fact, he is one of just four players (along with Bobby Wagner, Lavonte David and Demario Davis) who eclipses 40 QB pressures and 350 defensive stops in the NGS era, going back to 2016. But his cap hit is robust, ranking eighth among all off-ball linebackers, and the new guys might look to reallocate some of those funds."

Going further, there are questions about how Kendricks will fit in the new defensive coordinator Ed Donatell’s scheme. Earlier this month KFAN’s Ben Leber, a former NFL linebacker who comes at it with that experience, suggested the two-time Pro Bowler could struggle in the new system.

"To say that he can’t make the transition, I think, is foolish. I think it’s going to be difficult for him, though. It’s a defense, in my mind, that doesn’t speak to his specific skillset and I think it’s going to enhance the weaknesses that he has. You are (as an inside LB in a 3-4 defense) taking on a fair amount of more blockers. We’re not talking fullbacks and tight ends. We’re talking guards and tackles. That is not his strong point. He does not have long arms. He’s not a thumper when it comes to getting off blocks. It doesn’t come natural for him to play off blocks and you do have to two-gap a lot as an inside linebacker (in a 3-4 scheme)."

Kendricks is scheduled to count $13.53 million against the cap this year. Cutting him before or after June 1, would leave $5.96 million of that in dead money with the rest in cap savings.

Putting Kendricks on this list of surprising Vikings cuts mostly comes down to there just not being many clear candidates to be cut, without an extension or a restructure to punt cap dollars into the future.