Jonathan Greenard was one of the Minnesota Vikings’ key off-season acquisitions in 2024. The fifth-year EDGE rusher was brought in to replace long-time starter Danielle Hunter. So far, Greenard has proven to be worth the four-year, $72 million deal he signed in March.
Although most fans look at sacks to compare defensive linemen and EDGE rushers, the stats don’t always reflect down-to-down effectiveness. Pro Football Focus (PFF) does a good job of measuring effectiveness by tallying total pressures. This combines sacks, quarterback hits, and hurries.
According to PFF, Greenard has 77 total pressures, which is second in the NFL. Greenard trails Myles Garrett by two pressures and still has ten sacks on the season.
What makes Greenard’s feat incredible is that he isn’t rushing the passer as much as most of his contemporaries. Out of 106 players with at least 315 pass rushes this season, only Denver’s Zach Allen (628) has been on the field for more pass plays than Greenard (589).
However, Greenard has rushed the passer on only 511 plays. His 86.8% pass-rush-rate is the 11th-lowest in the league among the 106 pass rushers. This is because he has been asked to drop into coverage (PFF has charted him with 78 coverage snaps) and, at times, spying quarterbacks instead of only pinning his ears back and rushing the passer.
The Vikings will need Greenard to continue terrorizing quarterbacks if they want to beat the Lions on Sunday and win throughout the playoffs. So far, he’s answered the bell.