Countdown Questions — #3: Does the Vikings Defense Rise from Drudgery and Despair?
K. Joudry
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With the full Vikings roster soon to arrive at training camp, PurplePTSD is counting down the top 10 pressing, perplexing, and puzzling questions as the fateful day – July 25th – inches closer. Today’s focus rests on the #3 question:
Can Brian Flores somehow get the Vikings defense to rise from its recent drudgery and despair?
Minnesota’s loyal fans had grown accustomed to a certain standard. Several years of Mike Zimmer meant several years of stingy defense. Starting in 2020, the trend began to change. Over the 2020, 2021, and 2022 seasons, the Vikings haven’t finished better than 24th in the NFL for points against. Even worse, last year’s group was 31st in the NFL for yards allowed (which is to say nothing of their 28th finish for points allowed).
Flores has his work cut out for him. Any chance he can get his group to somewhere close to average?
Mr. Flores and the Ambitious Task Ahead for the Vikings Defense
Trading Za’Darius Smith was necessary. Painful and necessary.
Yes, the return was a bit light, but what was Kwesi Adofo-Mensah supposed to do? The GM’s hands were tied. His pass rusher publicly said goodbye to the team, so everyone knew Minnesota had to figure something out. Smith is still a great player but is older, expensive, and has an injury history.
Getting a boatload in draft capital was never going to happen, folks, a truth that becomes more apparent the more we have hindsight to help us see things clearly.
Who replaces his 10 sacks from 2022? Ideally, Marcus Davenport, the former Saint who had just a half sack in 2022. Davenport is considerably younger and certainly doesn’t lack for talent. Consistent health and production, on the other hand, have sometimes been elusive goals.
As we previously discussed, the corner situation presents its own concerns. Perhaps the single decision that still baffles a lot of Vikings fans rests in the failure to bring Duke Shelley back. The corner ended up going to Las Vegas for a single season and a cap hit not too far beyond $1 million. Minnesota could have easily afforded to retain him and yet chose not to do so.
By the time we’re four or five weeks into the season, will the Vikings be aching for a scrappy, competitive corner who finds a way to make plays on the ball?
At linebacker, the major stresser is the lack of depth. Seeing Jordan Hicks blitz with greater regularity should help him to re-emerge, especially since he’s already a strong defender when it comes to nullifying the run. Meanwhile, sophomore Brian Asamoah is being praised as a versatile weapon capable of moving all over the defense. Beyond them is unproven young players and journeymen.
Add it all together and many are left with the impression that the defense is paper thin.
Does Chef Flores have the ingredients he needs to quickly get the defense back into respectability? A lot of people believe the talent simply isn’t there.
Once again snagging a division title – a feat that’s been tough for Vikings coaches to accomplish – is largely predicated on a defense that doesn’t actively hinder the team’s chances of winning. Few, if any, expect the defense to be world beaters. Instead, simple competitive competence would be a notable upgrade.
Reaching the still-modest level should be enough for the Vikings to snag the NFC North.
Editor’s Note: The “Countdown Questions” series is a 10-day look at some of the most important questions facing the Minnesota Vikings as training camp nears. Be sure to keep swinging by to check out the latest installment and to read what has already been covered: #10, #9, #8, #7, #6, #5, & #4.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
