As coordinator Brian Flores further reshapes the Vikings defense in his second offseason, his impact can be seen in free-agent additions like edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel.
Van Ginkel, a 2019 fifth-round pick by Flores' Miami Dolphins, was on a steady ascension to begin his NFL career, an ascension that was seemingly interrupted when Flores was fired in 2022. But after a bounce-back season last fall, Van Ginkel said he's happy to be reunited with Flores.
"I have a good relationship with Brian and just my time with him in Miami, he's kind of really molded me into the player I am today," Van Ginkel said at his introductory news conference. "We went through kind of a lot of hard times, but just the way he used me, it's very versatile. Being able to line up in different positions makes it difficult on opponents."
Van Ginkel has played both edge rusher and inside linebacker in the NFL, although he's expected to step into a major role on the perimeter for a Vikings defense that lost edge rushers Danielle Hunter, Marcus Davenport and D.J. Wonnum in free agency. Here's a look at what the Vikings are getting.
Breakdown
Age: 29 in July
Height: 6-4
Weight: 242 pounds
Contract: 2 years, $20 million ($10 million guaranteed at signing)
At a glance: Appeared in 74 of 85 NFL games through five NFL seasons, including one playoff game; career-high eight pass deflections and six sacks last season for the Dolphins; scored first NFL touchdown in 2020 victory over Kevin O'Connell's Rams with a 78-yard fumble return; a 2019 fifth-round pick out of Wisconsin and South Dakota.
"This is kind of like the hometown team where I'm from," said Van Ginkel, who is from Rock Valley, a small town in the northwestern corner of Iowa. "I'm excited to be here and at U.S. Bank Stadium and to hear that place rocking."
Injury history: Van Ginkel's 74-game ironman streak came to an end in January, when he missed the Dolphins' playoff loss to the Chiefs due to a foot injury suffered in the regular season finale. Van Ginkel is expected to be ready for the start of offseason programs, his agent told Miami TV station WSVN in January.
'Goes straight Van Ginkel on you'
Van Ginkel was on a steady rise under Flores for three years. But a quiet season in 2022 led to a tepid commitment from Miami last year in a one-year deal worth about $3 million. He returned to the Dolphins under another new coordinator, Vic Fangio, who was stuck on where to play him.
Van Ginkel played on the line of scrimmage for most of his career, but Fangio wanted to move him to inside linebacker. He had an assistant coach cut up past film clips of Van Ginkel in relevant situations to evaluate whether he should go through with the move. He said he wasn't impressed. But he did it anyway.
"I watched it, and it really wasn't what I thought it was going to be," Fangio told Miami reporters in October. "For about three or four days, I said, 'Nah, we're not going to do it. Let's leave it alone.' But then I said, 'The heck with it, we're going to do it because I still have a gut feeling he could do it.' "
Inside linebacker is where Van Ginkel practiced in training camp and started the season.
But those plans were quickly scrapped. Jaelan Phillips, Miami's star edge rusher, tweaked his back in a September practice.
By Week 2, Van Ginkel was back on the line of scrimmage and making plays. In the video below, you'll see back-to-back snaps in the Dolphins' Sept. 17 win at New England, where Van Ginkel started and had three hits on Patriots quarterback Mac Jones.
Flores likely won't struggle with how to use Van Ginkel, who is expected to help as a versatile rush-and-cover outside linebacker.
That position is also where Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel coined the phrase "going Van Ginkel." During a team meeting last season recorded by HBO's "Hard Knocks" cameras, McDaniel was talking about Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby when he complimented Van Ginkel.
"When you hesitate, that's when [Crosby] goes straight Van Ginkel on you," McDaniel told his team.
McDaniel was asked by Miami reporters to elaborate.
"A lot of the production Van Ginkel has," McDaniel said in November, "particularly on the edge at the point of attack in the run or pass, he'll have an innate ability to kind of limber his upper body so he can bend and get low under [the] pad level and take away his chest or front blocking surface and run around the corner."
In the video below, you'll see three examples of Van Ginkel's playmaking on the edge, including sacks against the Cowboys and Giants, and a pick-six against the Commanders.
Ready for more?
Van Ginkel still dabbled as an inside linebacker, playing a career-high 105 snaps off the ball, according to Pro Football Focus, which put him in position for a career-high eight deflections. He batted away two passes in a Week 11 victory against the Raiders, including a third-down Aidan O'Connell pass.
But his home may be on the line of scrimmage, where Flores can still get plenty out of Van Ginkel's versatility as both a pass rusher and cover man in zone blitz designs.
Van Ginkel was one of the NFL's most effective pass rushers in 2023. According to PFF, only 10 other pass rushers affected quarterbacks more frequently than Van Ginkel, albeit in a relatively smaller sample size (53 pressures in 303 pass rushes) due to his varied and part-time roles.
He'll get more opportunities in Minnesota. He's shown he can handle the wear and tear.
Van Ginkel's 74 consecutive games streak, which ended due to a foot injury in the regular season finale, included playing through a broken nose suffered in the first quarter on Dec. 17 vs. the Jets.
"Generally, as a head coach, you would find out if someone had a broken nose," McDaniel told Miami reporters in December. "It speaks to the prerequisite toughness and the kind of the guy he is because he was just like, 'All right, gauze it up and let's go,' I never knew about it until I saw his face."
So what?
"I didn't even know it was broke until this morning when they did the CT scan," Van Ginkel said in December. "I was pass rushing and took a fist to the face, kind of went through my face mask. I felt it instantly, just blood started gushing everywhere. But, yeah, I didn't think anything of it. I just thought I had a bloody nose."