The Minnesota Vikings released linebacker Erin Henderson in order to save some money on their salary cap and his arrests for drunk driving over the last few months. Still, he’s a good enough and young enough player to find more work in the NFL, with the New York Giants, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs & Indianapolis Colts already showing some interest in the player.
Henderson was having his best season for the Vikings in 2013 with four sacks, two interceptions and finishing second on the team in tackled. He started in 12 of 14 games, and was just as efficient if not more than in 2011, when he was named to the 2nd All-Pro team by Pro Football Focus.
However, it seems that two drunk driving suspicions and arrests are a bit too much for the organization that wants to steer clear of unnecessary drama, cutting him and getting more than $2 million in cap space as a result of that move.
But there are plenty of teams who need some linebacker support, especially in the middle of the pack. The Packers and Chiefs might not use him as a starter (while the Colts and Giants might), but as a guy who doesn’t play all the snaps, Henderson can come in very handy.
Yes, the trend these days is to look to the draft, but you can’t fill all your needs with rookies, and good, proven veterans that don’t come too expensively aren’t that easy to find. Yes, Henderson has a problem that these teams will be looking very closely into, but it’s going to be something of a surprise if Henderson isn’t picked up very soon in the free agency process, and the team that does add him to its roster is getting themselves what seems like a very good deal.