Minnesota Vikings Starting Defense

With the Danielle Hunter question finally answered it’s a little easier to think about the defense that the Minnesota Vikings will have on the field this season. It’s still early but here’s a potential starting defense. 

DE	Dean Lowry
NT	Khyiris Tonga
DE	Harrison Phillips
OLB	Danielle Hunter
LB	Brian Asamoah
LB	Jordan Hicks
OLB	Marcus Davenport
CB	Byron Murphy Jr.
CB	Akayleb Evans
S	Harrison Smith
S	Lewis Cine

Nothing is decided after a handful of training camp practices. Dean Lowry, Khyiris Tonga, and Harrison Phillips are currently considered the front runners to be the team’s front three. I believe that second-year Esezi Otomewo and rookie Jaquelin Roy will eventually challenge for starting roles. They will certainly be a big part of the defensive line rotation. 

With Hunter on the field, the starting linebackers are the most set positions. Hunter and Marcus Davenport are the starters on the edge. Jordan Hicks and Brian Asamoah are the starters in the middle. D.J. Wonnum and Patrick Jones II are the top backups to Hunter and Davenport. Undrafted free agent Ivan Pace Jr. might one day be the exciting future linebacker pair with Asamoah. For now, Hicks is the leader and quarterback of the defense. 

Other than Harrison Smith at one of the safety spots and Byron Murphy Jr. at one of the cornerback spots, the secondary is wide open. This base 11 can’t come close to the variety that I expect to see in the secondary. With today’s ever expanding passing league, teams are rarely in a base defense. Under new defensive coordinator Brian Flores, the Vikings are exploring a variety of nickel defenses. A routine nickel, a big corner nickel, a safety nickel, whatever. I’m excited to see what Flores and defensive backs coaches Daronte Jones and Michael Hutchings come with for their players. What they do with and around Smith and Murphy will be fun. I expect all of the safeties to play. Smith, Lewis Cine, Camryn Bynum, and Josh Metellus. They might even pepper in fourth-round rookie Jay Ward. Perhaps due to the early training camp experimentation, I expect as many as five cornerbacks to see consistent snaps this season. After Murphy, I’m struggling to separate Akayleb Evans, Joejuan Williams, Andrew Booth Jr., and third-round rookie Mekhi Blackmon. Each brings unique traits. Each might have a role in the defense. A five-deep cornerbacks room? That could be fun. 

After last year’s horrible performance, not a lot is expected from the Vikings defense this year. Flores brings some interest and intrigue but there are so many unknowns. Most question the secondary. I have more questions about the defensive front. Despite the questions, I have much more confidence in this year’s Vikings defense than I had at this time last year. Perhaps that’s the Brian Flores factor.