Some Minnesota Vikings Defense

I can not wait to see what Brian Flores has planned for his Minnesota Vikings defense. The fun stuff from last year feels like an appetizer for this year. With modest talent last year, Flores schemed up one of the best defenses in the league. With better talent this year? It’s going to be fun.

The Vikings lost some defensive talent in the offseason:

Danielle Hunter, OLB

D.J. Wonnum, OLB

Marcus Davenport, OLB

Khyiris Tonga, DT

Jordan Hicks, LB

Danielle Hunter’s departure was the most significant and most painful. He’d been a franchise cornerstone from his 2015 rookie season. Marcus Davenport was signed last season to compliment Hunter in harassing quarterbacks. The Vikings got about two games from the frequently injured pass rusher. His departure feels more like a gain. Jordan Hicks was a fine player and leader but very much a player heading into the twilight of his career. D.J. Wonnum and Khyiris Tonga, especially Wonnum, played well in their respective roles. Losing Hunter was the most difficult and replacing his impact would probably take more than one player. At least on paper, through free agency and the draft, the Vikings might have done so. Only games will tell.

Free Agency additions:

Jonathan Greenard, OLB

Andrew Van Ginkel, OLB

Blake Cashman, LB

Jerry Tillery, DL

Jonah Williams, DL

Shaquill Griffin, CB

Duke Shelley, CB

Jacobi Francis, CB

Bobby McCain, S

Fabian Moreau, CB

Top Draft and Undrafted additions:

Dallas Turner, OLB

Levi Drake Rodriguez, DT

Gabriel Murphy, OLB

Dwight McGlothern, CB

Replacing the edge presence of Hunter with Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner feels like an overall gain. In the process, the Vikings also got much younger on the edge. 

 

With the additions, the Vikings got a little closer to the position-less, versatile defense that Flores prefers. Van Ginkel and Turner can do things off-the-ball that Hunter simply can’t. Combined with versatile safeties Josh Metellus and Harrison Smith and corner Byron Murphy Jr., the Vikings can field a defense in which about half of the players on the field can play just about anywhere. The defensive personnel has gotten to the point in which Flores could realistically put his 11 best football players on the field without much concern for the position next to their name. 

In a recent practice, Flores had the following defense on the field for a nickel situation.

OLB Dallas Turner

DL    Andrew Van Ginkel

DL    Patrick Jones

OLB Jonathan Greenard

LB    Ivan Pace Jr.

LB    Blake Cashman

CB   Byron Murphy Jr.

NB   Josh Metellus

CB   Akayleb Evans

  S    Harrison Smith

  S    Camryn Bynum

(when healthy, I assume Shaquill Griffin replaces Akayleb Evans)

 

It was only a rep in one training camp practice. Still, it’s a glimpse of a potential 2024 Vikings defense. After the departures and arrivals of the offseason, this was pretty much the defense I envisioned. The defense in that vision, I had Greenard and Van Ginkel flipped. It’s fun to imagine the potential of this incredibly versatile defense. In today’s NFL, nickel defense is pretty much a team’s base defense. It’s obviously lacking in beef against the run so it’s certainly not an every-down lineup. Interior defensive linemen Harrison Phillips, Jonathan Bullard, and Jaquelin Roy will see plenty of action but it sure is easy to lean into the above defense of fast, versatile football players. The dream addition is still an impact, penetrating defensive tackle (and perhaps an elite cover corner) but Flores has much more talent to send onto the field in his second season of crafting the Vikings defense. It’s going to be fun.