The Minnesota Vikings need an answer at outside linebacker, both to aid in the pass rush this season and potentially to step in for Andrew Van Ginkel longterm if he doesn’t return in 2027 and beyond.
Enter Jake Golday, the team’s second-round pick out of Cincinnati in this year’s NFL draft. Golday played the off-ball linebacker position for much of his late collegiate career, but the Vikings utilized him off the edge during training camp sessions last weekend in what could well be a sign of things to come.
“A college edge-rusher who converted to linebacker, [Golday] seems like an Andrew Van Ginkel heir apparent,” ESPN’s Ben Solak wrote after his visit to Vikings camp on July 30. “I saw him taking snaps at off-ball linebacker, but he took edge-rush reps the day after I left camp. My guess is he’s only a sub-package player early, but he has the frame and length to be a great blitzing stack linebacker in Year 1.”
Vikings Can Acclimate Jake Golday to Edge-Rusher Position Gradually Across Rookie Season
GettyLinebacker Jake Golday of the Minnesota Vikings.
Alec Lewis of The Athletic wrote on Monday about Minnesota experimenting with Golday outside in the context of the team’s lack of depth at the position behind starters Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner.
“Golday shifted from the traditional linebacker position to the edge Saturday,” Lewis wrote. “His comfort there offers some conviction about what the Vikings have behind Dallas Turner and Van Ginkel, but the rest of the possible replacements come with questions.”
Lewis went on to note that everyone aside from Golday behind Turner and Van Ginkel joined the Vikings recently as undrafted free agents.
“Bo Richter, Chaz Chambliss and Tyler Batty are all undrafted players trying to carve out bigger roles,” Lewis added. “Even though the Vikings have high hopes for Turner, and their defense doesn’t hinge on one pass-rusher taking over games, acquiring a more veteran pass-rushing replacement still makes sense.”
Vikings Still Potential Candidate to Sign Pass-Rush Specialist in Free Agency
GettyFormer Washington Commanders pass-rusher Von Miller.
Even if Golday is not a fixture on the outside during his rookie campaign, the Vikings can use him there enough to get extra value out of the No. 51 overall selection and prepare him to potentially fill in for Van Ginkel if the team doesn’t bring the former All-Pro back for his age-32 campaign two seasons from now.
That type of approach would potentially allow Minnesota to fill whatever void remains at the pass-rusher position with a veteran free agent on a one-year contract.
Some of the players still available for that role include Kyle Van Noy, Leonard Floyd and Von Miller. Joey Bosa could also prove an option if he decides not to retire this summer.
Minnesota lost both top-end talent and depth at the position when the team decided to trade Jonathan Greenard to the Philadelphia Eagles during the draft in return for two third-round picks, thereby promoting Turner to a starting role as the former first-round selection enters his third season in the NFL.
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