There is growing anticipation of the Minnesota Vikings fielding one of the NFL’s top pass-rushing duos in Za’Darius Smith and Danielle Hunter. Smith officially signed a three-year, $42 million deal with the team on Tuesday to help fortify a defensive front that struggled in the latter half of the 2021 season.
However, health is always the biggest talking point when heaping praise on Hunter, regardless of the multiple Pro Bowl and All-Pro accolades.
After posting 14.5 sacks in 2018 and 2019, he missed the entire 2020 season with a neck injury, and then he tore his pectoral muscle after appearing in the first seven games in 2021.
People can talk about the dynamic pairing of the two star pass-rushers until they’re blue in the face, but none of it matters if Hunter and Smith, who missed nearly all of the 2021 regular season with a back injury, can’t stay healthy.
“I feel great. The last three years were pretty unfortunate, but I just have to stay positive,” said Hunter, when speaking with KPRC 2’s Ari Alexander. “I have positive people around me. My family has been there. Coaches have been there. So I’m ready to go this season. Every year you’ve got to start back from the roots, you know? Start back from the fundamentals—hands, feet, eyes. Don’t ever go into a season thinking you know what you’re doing or you’re going to be the same player you’ve always been. Always start from the fundamentals.”
Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter @DHunt94_TX getting extra work in after making full recovery from torn pectoral last year. @Footwork_King2 Vikings' Janarius Robinson @JanariusD1 'Today was a pretty good day. (Rischad Whitfield) knows his stuff. That's what we like' #Skol pic.twitter.com/mDu7eoyTAj
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 23, 2022
An opportunity for a blank slate with a regime change in Minnesota, coupled with playing alongside Smith should stoke a fire in Hunter.
The Vikings only hope that fire is contagious for a defensive unit that must improve if the team has any hopes of postseason contention.
