Vikings Should Target Ziggy Ansah on Cheap Deal to Replace Everson Griffen

The Minnesota Vikings, longtime holders of one of the best defensive lines in all of football, need to do some serious retooling in the trenches after letting stalwarts like nose tackle Linval Joseph and backup Stephen Weatherly walk in free agency.

The Vikings will also need to replace former USC star Everson Griffen who voided his contract and announced that he would not return to Minnesota in 2020.

With Griffen on the move, Minnesota's next priority in free agency should be trying to add former Detroit Lions pass rusher Ziggy Ansah.

While the former No. 5 overall pick recorded just 2.5 sacks in 11 games with the Seattle Seahawks, the talent is clearly there, evidence by his 48 sacks during six seasons with the Lions.

Zimmer knows full well what a healthy Ansah can do if deployed correctly in the right scheme like he was in Detroit, and his familiarity with the NFC North could make him a valuable weapon in Minnesota.

Ansah is coming off a year in which he struggled with injury, but he is still a remarkably explosive edge rusher that Zimmer could trust to replace the impact and production of Griffen at an efficient price. A one-year prove-it deal could be what Ansah is seeking in his age 30 season.