Safeties
Harrison Smith
Josh Metellus
Theo Jackson
Jay Ward
Mishael Powell
Bubba Bolden
As with the cornerbacks, many of the draft talking heads had circled safety as a significant Vikings need. Many of those “experts” even had safety as the team’s first pick. All were surprised that not only did the Vikings not select a safety in the first round, they didn’t address the position in the entire draft. That surprise was often expressed in trash grades for the team’s draft. Who cares? Grading drafts a few days after the selections are made has always been a ludicrous endeavor.
Anyway, all of that is to say that the national media really has no clue about what the Vikings already know. Theo Jackson can play and is ready to start. Cam Bynum will be missed on and off the field. The Vikings were aggressive in free agency but they couldn’t bring back everyone. The loss of Bynum was balanced by the knowledge that Jackson is ready for a bigger role. Whenever Harrison Smith, Josh Metellus, and Bynum were asked about Jackson, they lit up and each simply said “he makes plays.” From the moment he joined the Vikings after being plucked from the practice squad of the Tennessee Titans late in the 2022 season, he was making plays. No one but his teammates and coaches knew about it because he was making those plays in practice. When given scattered opportunities in games, he did the same. He made game-changing and game-sealing interceptions against the Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks. Jackson is ready and I believe that he can play the position much like Bynum did, as a deep safety with the ability to come forward and make plays near the line of scrimmage.
Harrison Smith. I’m so glad that he’s back for his 14th season. I can’t handle the thought of a Vikings defense without Smith prowling all over it. He’s been a great football player from the moment he first stepped on the field for the Vikings in 2012. He’s still a great football player. He’s one of the best all-around safeties I’ve ever seen.
I’m not really sure Joshua Metellus can even be called a safety. Doing so seems to limit all that he actually does in defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ defense. At the snap, Metellus can be anywhere. He isn’t the most athletic or most explosive player in the league or on this team. He might be the most versatile defensive player in the league. After the Las Vegas Raiders game in 2023, Raiders linebacker Robert Spillane approached Metellus and asked “What are you?” Joshua Metellus is everywhere doing everything.
One thing the Vikings had when Cam Bynum was on the team was Theo Jackson as a solid fourth safety. Jay Ward was selected in the fourth round 2023 NFL Draft to provide defensive depth and perhaps more. Through two seasons, he’s established himself as a key special teams player. He’s had few snaps on defense. Now, he projects as the team’s fourth safety and more will probably be expected of him on defense. Will he step up when called upon like Jackson often did? That might be the biggest question concerning the Vikings safety group.
Bubba Bolden was added in free agency. Mishael Powell was signed as an undrafted free agent. They have an opportunity but passing Jay Ward on the depth chart will be a steep climb. Perhaps, the Vikings keep five safeties. Roster trimming is always a numbers game but I really don’t see those numbers leading to a fifth safety.
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