Ive heard the name, but never really paid much attention ... is he the Taki-Taki replacement?

basically - but, more of a run-stopper thank Taki

The only thing I wonder is if his tackles are 5-6 yards downfield lie DQ's were.

Takitaki's PFF grade was 68.7 last year so I guess an upgrade statistically. Kinda meh signing, imo

From what I'm seeing looks like he was Schwartz' green dot in Philly in 2016-2018 and also was the defensive signal caller for the Vikings last season. Had a lot of pass rush reps last season, leading all ILBs with Flores going pretty blitz heavy in his play calling.

We'll see how it goes.

Okay, so Schwartz trusts him .. he's going to be a Walker/taki type guy

Was both green dot and defensive captain in Minnesota. Jake Trotter claiming likely will fill both roles in Cleveland as Anthony Walker Jr's replacement.

I don't know about this. He's going to be 32 in June, has had 2 ruptured achilles tendon repairs and a pretty serious compartment syndrome surgery last season. He's obviously lost a step according to Vikings reporters. This reminds me of those Mangini signings....smart aging vets that didn't quite cut it on the field.

Just to add a bit of context to Hicks Achilles injuries..

Hicks first Achilles injury occurred September 23, 2013, while in college...

Hicks other Achilles injury was October 31, 2017...

November 12, 2023- Hicks suffered a leg contusion during the game against the Saints. He tried to return to action but was removed from the game. After the game, swelling led to the Vikings and Hicks seeking expanded medical care. He was transported to a hospital and underwent a procedure to address compartment syndrome. The Vikings placed him on injured reserve list two days later.[58] He was activated on December 23, missing 4 starts. He returned to the active roster on Dec 23 and started the last 3 games of the season.

Taki and Walker are now gone.

I have heard Diabate is a guy they like. He played well on special teams. Maybe he gets an increased role.

I would love to get Devin White. He is about a $10m player. He is only 26.

He has great speed. He ran a 4.42. He is a sideline to sideline guy. He would be good with JOK IMO.

Hicks is kind of like Rodney McLeod. Vet who has played for Schwartz. Smart player on the downside of his career.

Hicks still played well. His #22 PFL grade is pretty solid...22nd. I don't know how many LBs get a qualifying grade, but it has to be 100 players or more.

32 teams at 3 lbs a team gets you there. Add in the rotational guys who get a grade, 22 is pretty darn good.

Perused the Vikings boards and they don’t seem too broken up about the loss. Seem to say he’s a great guy, smart player but more than one person mentioned him being quite slow. I kinda feel like Taki started to show real progress last year.

Basically traded one Anthony Walker for another.

Rearranging of the deck chairs.

we still need a linebacker or three, I'd say Linebacker is still our biggest hole, followed by DT and OL depth

I agree. We could definitely use more help at LB. Probably 2 more IMO.

I want to see what Diabate has with more playing time. We could use more depth, but I don't think I'd want to pay early FA prices for another one.

agree on that, I'd like to find someone early in draft . But LB is def. something i bet we are targeting for depth. We've had injury issues there

After a quick glance, this looks like a one-year deal essentially unless he has a fantastic 2024 season.

He’s here to replace takitaki?

Walker, I'd say.

Agreed. He'll be the MLB, defensive leader, and wear the green dot.

Hicks made some comments about watching JOK in the Schwartz defense. "He is all over the place." I look forward to working with him and talking defense.

Schwartz is the guy. He knows how to use Hicks. Now he has a year with JOK and knows what he can bring.

I am sure Schwartz looked very closely at Bush on film. He knows how he will use him. Bush ran a 4.43.

The linebacker unit will look and play differently.

Agreed Bone. They will be better too IMO. We now have some talent there as well as more experience.

Just a mic'ed up from a couple years ago. The line around the 35 second mark seems to fit with Schwartz. The advice there would also fit what I'd like to see from Bush.