Desperate times call for desperate measures and in the case of the 6-4 Minnesota Vikings, currently the NFC's seventh and final playoff seed, that meant a reunion with a familiar face. In light of starting linebacker Jordan Hicks being hospitalized and undergoing surgery to reduce pressure from a shin contusion in the team's 27-19 win against the New Orleans Saints, according to the Associated Press, Minnesota has re-signed 31-year-old, four-time Pro Bowl linebacker Anthony Barr, their ninth overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.
Barr played eight season with the Vikings from 2014-2021, and he earned four consecutive Pro Bowl nods from 2015-2018. He totaled 495 tackles, 41 tackles for loss, eight forced fumbles, five interceptions, 30 passes defended and 17.5 sacks during his Vikings tenure. Barr was one of only six players during his Minnesota years from 2014-2021 to total 450 or more tackles (495), 15 or more sacks (17.5), five forced fumbles (eight) and five interceptions (five), joining Lavonte David, Bobby Wagner, Shaquille Leonard, teammate Harrison Smith and Jamie Collins.
Barr last played in the 2022 season with the Dallas Cowboys, and he racked up 58 tackles and two fumble recoveries in 14 games, 10 starts, on defensive coordinator Dan Quinn's defense a year ago. He will have an adjustment period returning home to the Vikings as they are in the first season under new defensive coordinator Brian Flores, and he has given Minnesota a significant stylistic shift. The Vikings lead the NFL in blitz rate, sending extra defenders on 49.1% of opposing quarterbacks' dropbacks. In former head coach Mike Zimmer's defense, the Vikings blitzed on just 26.1% of opposing quarterback dropbacks during Barr's eight seasons, which ranked 19th in the league in that span.
