4 Vikings Who Have Earned a Chance to Stay in Minnesota Next Season
Josh Frey
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The Minnesota Vikings have played well enough over the past month to win four consecutive games, and now they hold the seventh and final seed of the NFC playoffs heading into Week 10.
This has happened despite injuries all over their roster, and without names like Kirk Cousins, Christian Darrisaw, and Justin Jefferson at points during this winning streak, many unsung heroes have stepped up in huge ways.
The Vikings have a pretty extensive list of pending free agents in 2024, but many of these players have earned a chance at new contracts next offseason. As the second half of the season approaches, this feels like a good time to discuss the names who have stepped up. We’re going to avoid some of the big names (Cousins, Danielle Hunter, Jefferson extension) and instead highlight a few of the other players who have performed well enough to remain in Minnesota next year.
DE Jonathan Bullard
The Vikings have had one of the best run defenses in the NFL this season, and a lot of that has to do with the play from their defensive front. Namely, Jonathan Bullard has been terrific in this area during 2023.
Minnesota ranks among the top 12 defenses in rushing yards allowed per game, yards per carry allowed, and EPA/run this season, which has allowed them to put opponents in difficult passing situations during this winning streak.
Among the 73 defensive linemen with at least 100 snaps in run defense this season, Bullard’s PFF grade of 67.3 puts him at 16th in the league. Pro Football Focus also tracks how many of a player’s tackles in run defense have qualified as a stop (i.e. a failed run by the offense), and Bullard is tied for sixth in the NFL with 18 of them. For reference, players like Aaron Donald and Quinnen Williams have 19 while Bullard’s teammate, Harrison Phillips, leads the NFL with 22.
The combination of Bullard and Phillips has been tremendous against the run all season, and the Vikings would be wise to run that duo back in 2024.
LB Jordan Hicks
Jordan Hicks signed with the Vikings in 2022, and he was a rather underwhelming presence in Minnesota’s defense last season. Part of the reason for that was the fact that he was simply misutilized in Ed Donatell’s scheme.
After making a name for himself as a blitzing linebacker who can fly all over the field, Hicks blitzed on just 17 of his snaps last season, by far a career low. This year, Brian Flores has unlocked the veteran LB’s skills as a blitzer once again, and Hicks is on pace to blow his career high of 89 blitzes out of the water (he currently has 71 through just nine games).
As a result, Hicks has turned into one of the best off-ball linebackers in the entire NFL. PFF has graded him at 78.3 this season, and among linebackers who have played at least 300 defensive snaps, that ranks 14th in the league.
Another cool development in Hicks’ game has been his pass coverage abilities. That has never truly been his forte in the NFL, but PFF has him as the 10th-best linebacker in coverage among players with at least 150 coverage snaps. He has allowed a passer rating of 93.5 when targeted, which would be his second-best mark since 2018, per Pro-Football-Reference. The blueprint is in place for continued success in 2024.
WR Brandon Powell
In a lot of ways, Brandon Powell has turned into the player that the Vikings envisioned Jalen Reagor could have been last season. That has been increasingly notable during this winning streak without Jefferson in the lineup. Over the past five games, Powell has been targeted 21 times while hauling in 14 passes for 152 yards and his game-winning TD catch against the Falcons.
The Vikings have needed to find some sort of balance in the passing game with Jefferson going down, and then K.J. Osborn leaving during the first half of last weekend’s game. In order for that to work, the receivers need to be talented enough to produce and garner attention from opposing defenses to open opportunities for other receivers to make plays. Powell has done exactly that.
Not only is Powell contributing offensively, but he is also proving to be a very productive punt returner. He has returned 18 punts for 143 yards so far this season, and his average of 7.9 yards per return has been a great boost from Reagor’s average of 6.4 from last year. The receiver has earned a chance to build off this season in 2024.
S Theo Jackson
The Vikings have a ton of depth at the safety position right now, which has limited Theo Jackson’s opportunities on defense this year. Even still, much like Josh Metellus in 2022, the safety is making the most of his chances.
Jackson has played 69 defensive snaps this year, and PFF has given him a grade of 81.4 for his efforts, including a coverage grade of 81.6. In relief of Josh Metellus during Minnesota’s Week 2 game against the Eagles, he came up with an interception. While Minnesota’s comeback effort came up short in that game, they likely wouldn’t have had much of a chance without that play from Jackson.
Matt Daniels has extensively utilized Jackson in the special teams as well, and he ranks second on the team with 157 special teams snaps. Fans will recall that this is precisely how Metellus carved out a role for himself on the Vikings roster, so perhaps Jackson’s road to NFL success can be similar. It’s worth keeping the safety around next year to find out.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.