Vikings linebacker Eric Kendricks was named an All-Pro for the first time in 2019, and seemed on his way to the honor a second time in 2020 before a calf injury that took him out for the team's final five games and underscored his value in a different way. The Vikings gave up at least 390 yards in four of their final five games with Kendricks out, allowing 463 on the ground in back-to-back losses to the Bears and Saints that doomed their faint playoff chances.
During the Vikings' first two organized team activities open to reporters this spring, Kendricks did some rehab work and watched practice from the sideline, but during the second day of the team's mandatory minicamp on Wednesday, he delivered a reminder of what's made him so valuable.