Vikings Training Camp Competition: Defense

The Minnesota Vikings defense is a young, talented, fast, improving bunch. All of the starters from 2015 return in 2016. Head coach Mike Zimmer favors a heavy rotation and situational substitution of his defenders. Especially along the defensive line. Even if players aren't at the top of the depth chart they will get significant snaps. There will be a lot of defensive competition at the Vikings training camp in Mankato.

Defensive line
The Vikings currently have 16 defensive linemen on their roster. The starting four are pretty much set.

DE  Everson Griffen
DT  Sharrif Floyd
DT  Linval Joseph
DE  Brian Robison

Everson Griffen is a force against the run and pass. Sharrif Floyd has the talent to be a star. The only thing that's kept him from being a star already is injuries. He's missed too many games. If he can stay healthy he could be one of the most disruptive interior defenders in the league. Linval Joseph was outstanding last year. An immovable force. The one question regarding the starting four is whether Danielle Hunter can leap over steady veteran Brian Robison at left defensive end. As a rookie, Hunter was a pass rushing force the final quarter of last season. Whether he starts or not, he will be on the field a lot. If Hunter continues to progress at the rapid rate that he progressed in his first season he'll be a star. The Vikings have solid depth behind the starters. Tom Johnson has been a terrific, interior pass rusher each of his two seasons with the team. While he's most effective coming off the bench in passing situations he's been a dependable starter when injuries have kept Floyd out of the lineup. Shamar Stephen was productive as a rookie in 2014 but missed nearly all of the 2015 to a broken foot. Hopefully he can return to the promising level of play that he showed as a rookie. Kenrick Ellis was signed when Stephen went on injured reserve. Ellis is the one player on the roster that can match Joseph's size in the middle. If the Vikings keep eight defensive linemen, Ellis and Stephen are probably competing for the final defensive tackle spot. Stephen, if he stays healthy, has the edge due to his youth and potential. Toby Johnson and Travis Raciti will also be in the defensive tackle mix. The top three defensive end spots are secure with Griffen, Robsion, and Hunter. That fourth spot, if the Vikings only keep four defensive ends, will be a well-contested battle. Scott Crichton, Justin Trattou, Zach Moore and rookies Stephen Weatherly, Theiren Cockran, and Denzell Perine are the contenders. Crichton, a third-round pick in 2014, is probably the most skilled but injuries have slowed his adjustment to the NFL. If last year is any indication the football seems to find the hands of Trattou. That's a fine skill for a defensive player to have. He had two interceptions in very limited snaps. Moore has bounced around the league for a couple of years. At 6'6" and 280 lbs he has the unique physical dimensions that Zimmer seems to prefer. Weatherly is a raw, talented pass rusher that the Vikings selected in the seventh round last spring. It's probably no real stretch to tap Crichton, Trattou, Moore, and Weatherly as the top contenders for what will probably be the last defensive end spot. This could be one of the more intense competitions in camp. Certainly one of the most contested. I give the pre-training camp edge to Crichton but a lot can change in Mankato.

Weak-side linebacker
The Vikings base defense is a 4-3. In today's pass-happy NFL they are presently in that base defense only about a third of the time. More often than not they only have two linebackers on the field. So, weak-side linebacker spot is a starting spot in name only. Stong-side linebacker Anthony Barr and middle linebacker Eric Kendricks are the two linebackers that are on the field for, hopefully, every defensive snap. 10-year veteran and team leader Chad Greenway started on the weak-side last year. It was probably better on his veteran body that he wasn't on the field for every snap. It was a tough change for him as he's been an excellent, every-down linebacker for a long time. He returns for one more season and is probably the favorite to start on the weak-side. He will face strong competition from free agent addition Emmanuel Lamur. While new to the Vikings Lamur isn't new to Mike Zimmer's defense. He played for his new head coach for a couple of years in Cincinnati when Zimmer was the defensive coordinator with the Bengals. Lamur actually has more experience in this defense than any player on the Vikings roster other than cornerback Terence Newman. While I think that Greenway will be named the starter I also think that Zimmer will find a way to get Lamur on the field often.

Cornerback
Xavier Rhodes is set at one corner position. Terence Newman enters training camp as the starter on the other side. Except by the most pessimistic Vikings beat writers and fans, it's expected that last year's top pick Trae Waynes is ready to take over for Newman after a rookie year of learning the defense and adjusting to the NFL. The position won't be handed to Waynes simply because he was a first round pick so he has to prove that he's ready to start. If his play late last season is any indication it looks like he's ready. He certainly has the natural talent to be a top-notch corner in the league. The other cornerback competition could come at nickel. Captain Munnerlyn played very well there last year and will probably keep the job. Talented, second-round pick Mackenzie Alexander could throw a real threat into Munnerlyn's job security at nickel. I think that Alexander will play special teams and sit and learn on defense this year just like Waynes did last year.

Safety
After the competitions across the offensive line the training camp competition at safety might be the most anticipated on the team. It's certainly the most anticipated on this talented defense. The Vikings have been looking for a skilled safety to pair with Harrison Smith since he established himself as a standout at the position four years ago. Andrew Sendejo was the starter last season. He was re-signed in the offseason but that was mostly for his strong special teams play as well as his ability to provide solid depth on defense. He wasn't re-signed to be the starting safety. Michael Griffin was signed as a free agent to potentially start but his best days are behind them. The Vikings improved the safety position with Griffin but he's still a short term answer. If he's the answer at all. The contenders for the safety spot opposite Smith are Griffin, second-year Anthony Harris, third-year Antone Exum, and seventh-round rookie Jayron Kearse. Sendejo is also in the mix but the coaches already know what they have in him. Each contender provides something different. Griffin is the steady veteran that still has some football left in him. Harris is probably the most ready to start of the youngsters because he rarely makes mistakes. Injuries forced him onto the field last year as a rookie and he was solid. Exum is the best athlete of the contenders but his understanding of the defense doesn't always match that natural talent. Kearse is a physical freak at 6'4". If he can learn the defense quickly a player his size at the back of the defense can be very disruptive. Unless one of the youngsters jumps to the front of the pack I think that Griffin opens the season as the starter. My hunch is that Harris jumps to the front of the pack. But, that's just me.

Are we still a month away from the opening of training camps?