When Vikings linebacker E.J. Henderson went down with one of the more gruesome injuries seen in recent years against the Cardinals in week 13, Minnesota’s defense lost a bit of their swagger. They still had one of the best defensive lines in the game led by Jared Allen at defensive end, but Henderson was the man that made it all go with his tenacious ability to seek out the ball anywhere on the field.

His replacement, rookie Jasper Brinkley, was adequate at best in filling Henderson’s shoes, and the Vikings run defense suffered as a result down the stretch last season. So it makes sense that the team would be interested in finding better depth if at all possible this off-season, especially in a class that has enough inside linebacker talent to potentially last deep into the third round.

But instead of going that route, which is the most prudent course of action for a franchise loaded with talent (and salaries), Minnesota seems to be intent on pursuing former New York Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce, who many felt was on his way to retirement last fall, after he suffered a frightening injury to his neck that doctors later diagnosed as a bulging disk. By playing through the injury, he risks further damage to one of the most sensitive and critical areas of his body, and could face long term repercussions if things worsen.

Pierce is a fine linebacker when healthy, capable of defending sideline to sideline, and captaining his defense through good times and bad. But given the definite risks outlined above in having him play consistently through an entire season, any team that signs him has to understand that having Pierce rotate in and out of the lineup may be a better idea in the long run of things.

So that brings us back to the Vikings, who clearly have a need for a veteran presence in the huddle on defense, at least until Henderson is able to recover to a level that allows him to play consistently, which may or may not happen this season. Potentially adding Pierce is certainly a calculated risk to say the least, with the aforementioned medical issues likely to cause him to miss some playing time throughout what should be a definite Super Bowl run for Minnesota next fall.

It’s still far too early to determine what will end up happening in this case, as the Vikings and Pierce are likely content to take a wait and see approach with each other for the time being, in an effort to drive Pierce’s asking price up or down, depending on the perspective. But if such a deal did take place, there’s little doubt Minnesota’s defense would not be better off as a result, and a run through the NFC to Super Bowl XLV in Dallas could very well be in the works.

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