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On Wednesday, Marc Sessler over at NFL.com took a swing at matching impending free agents with their best fits around the league.
One of those matches happened to be current Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr and the Los Angeles Chargers. Here is what Sessler had to say about the potential pairing:
To me, this seems like the perfect scenario for Telesco to continue his streak of signing cheaper free agents still in the prime of their careers to positions of need.
Casey Hayward was signed as a 26-year old who turned 27 before his breakout season with the Bolts. Russell Okung was signed right before he turned 30 in October of 2017 but has a clean streak of starting every game he has ever played in. Last year’s prized-signing of 29-year old Mike Pouncey was tremendous for the team’s offensive line and, although the former-Dolphin had some injury history, he was on the cheaper side and is still an elite player at the position whenever he is on the field.
Barr will turn 27 next month and could absolutely be the next signing by the Chargers that helps catapult the defense to the next level as an instant impact player.
Yes, his last two seasons with the Vikings have shown some regression, but Hayward wasn’t having the best time in Green Bay and Okung wasn’t doing too hot in Seattle before his tenure with the Seahawks came to an end. The Chargers have done an incredible job of reigniting players that are on an apparent down-slide in their careers.
Barr is a 6-foot-4, 250-pound linebacker that would instantly bump up the average size of the the Bolts’ linebacker group. He can make his money as an off-ball linebacker but many believe his pass-rushing prowess should be utilized more than it was in his last few seasons in MInnesota. The possibilities and packages that could be used with Barr alongside Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa are intriguing to say the least.
In the end, Barr’s age, position, and situation are the perfect ingredients for the recipe of success Telesco and his staff have mastered over the last several years and I would be surprised if they didn’t at least make a strong push to land the versatile defender.