MINNEAPOLIS -- Even though the Minnesota Vikings agreed to a new four-year deal with Andrew Sendejo on March 5, the seeds for a different kind of safety on the Vikings' roster had been laid weeks before that.
On Feb. 25, during his news conference at the NFL combine, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer responded to a question about the safety spot next to Harrison Smith by saying, "Well, I think this: If Harrison Smith was paired with a guy that had some other qualities, we could allow Harrison to be more of an impactful player.