When the Detroit Lions come to U.S. Bank Stadium in Week 9 to take on the Minnesota Vikings, they’ll be bringing a familiar face with them. And, in this case, we’re not talking about Adrian Peterson.
On Tuesday, the Detroit Lions acquired defensive end Everson Griffen from the Dallas Cowboys. Because of COVID-19 protocols, Griffen won’t be available to the Lions this Sunday when they take on the Indianapolis Colts, meaning that his debut in Honolulu Blue will come in Week 9 against his former team.
Griffen voided his contract with the Vikings after the 2019 season, making him a free agent. He sat out for much of the offseason, but finally signed with the Cowboys just before the start of the regular season. In his seven games with the Cowboys, he collected 2.5 sacks and six other quarterback hits.
As we know, Griffen had an outstanding career in Minnesota after the Vikings drafted him in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft out of Southern California. He registered 74.5 sacks in his ten seasons in purple along with two interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown against the St. Louis Rams in 2012.
I don’t know how many snaps Everson Griffen is going to get when the Lions come to Minnesota in a couple of weeks, but it’s going to be a little bit strange seeing him hunting Vikings’ quarterbacks instead of chasing them down for Mike Zimmer’s defense.