The Vikings Benched a Promising, Powerful Defender
Coming into the year, the Vikings were supposed to lean on nose tackle Khyiris Tonga.
The team doesn’t have a ton of muscle along the defensive line, making the 6’4″, 338-pound lineman particularly important. In fact, he’s easily the heaviest player on the team. What’s not being discussed very much, though, is that the Vikings benched the promising, powerful defender. In fact, Tonga didn’t even get a chance to play in Week 3 since he was inactive.
Generally speaking, coaches are attracted to power and size. Tonga’s dimensions aren’t something that can be taught; either someone is humongous or they aren’t. A lot of defensive coordinators value a massive NT since, in theory, they should be able to absorb a couple blockers while maintaining their spot along the line of scrimmage, freeing a linebacker to make a play.
Tonga, though, was even used sparingly when he was active. In his pair of games, Tonga has only picked up 21 snaps on defense. What’s going on with Brian Flores and the team’s bully along the d-line?
The Vikings Benched Khyiris Tonga
In 2022, Khyiris Tonga did a lot of good things. True, the Ed Donatell defense was a disaster, but the nose tackle consistently showed that he could make plays when called upon.
In the end, the nose tackle got 276 snaps for Donatell’s defense, picking up 28 tackles in the process. He also had 4 PDs, 0.5 sacks, 1 TFL, and 2 QB hits. Again, much of his value comes from soaking up blocks, a responsibility that doesn’t always lead to abundant stats but it does free up his teammates to make plays on the ball carrier.
Transitioning into the Flores defense hasn’t gone particularly well for Tonga. The Eagles were destroying the Vikings’ run defense in Week 2 and yet the nose tackle wasn’t on the field very much, a surefire sign that the DC doesn’t have the most confidence in him.
The wild thing is that Minnesota’s defensive line hasn’t exactly been the gold standard in the NFL. Harrison Phillips is steady but no one is mistaking him for Aaron Donald. Dean Lowry has been playing poorly while Jonathan Bullard has been making the GM look smart for bringing him back. Even with the trio up front falling short of dominance, the Vikings haven’t found much room for Tonga.
Last week, Andre Carter and Jaquelin Roy made their NFL debuts. Bringing these two into the lineup meant some players had to come out, one of whom being Tonga. Roy is a rookie 5th-round selection who hasn’t arrived yet, but he may be surpassing Tonga on the depth chart.
In many ways, the season is still young. Tonga isn’t doomed to a season of drudgery even though things haven’t begun particularly well. Only 27, the nose tackle still has a lot of potential, especially in a defense that does want to become more stout at the line of scrimmage.
Keep an eye on how the Vikings decide to manage their roster going into this week’s Carolina game. Shutting down the Panthers’ rushing attack makes a lot of sense; force Bryce Young, a rookie QB, to win the game through the air. Tonga may end up being part of the winning formula as someone who anchors the middle of the defense.
Khyiris Tonga is playing on a 1-year, $940,000 deal. If his playing time doesn’t increase, Tonga’s purple future in is doubt.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.