The Vikings Roster Spot Where Spielman Still Shines
For the most part, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has flipped the roster over.
More and more, the new GM is undoing the work of the old GM. Entire position groups — quarterback, tight end, linebacker, corner — are showing zero influence from Rick Spielman. However, the top cluster of talent at safety are all Spielman picks.
The Vikings Roster Spot Where Spielman Shines
Where would Brian Flores be without his safeties?
The tactician at DC asks his safety trio to do a ton. Quite often, that means patrolling the deep area of the field, but it also means being a part-time linebacker, corner, and (at times) defensive end. Harrison Smith, Camryn Bynum, and Josh Metellus work well together; they also work well with Mr. Flores.
Back in 2012, the Vikings moved up to 29th overall to take the talented safety out of Notre Dame. Since then, The Hitman has been a mainstay in Minnesota’s defense, picking up work for Leslie Frazier, Mike Zimmer, Ed Donatell, and Flores.
Fast forward a few years and Josh Metellus was the next to be added. Spielman scooped him up in the 6th — 205th overall — back in 2020. The initial seasons were modest but Metellus is now a team captain who thrives on defense and special teams.
And then Camryn Bynum arrived in 2021 in the 4th, 125th overall. He was a college corner who was tasked with flipping over to safety. Doing so successfully suggests that Bynum isn’t just gifted athletically but is someone who works hard and who is very smart.
If the Vikings are to put together a winning record in 2024, the defense will need to keep progressing. The offense might be good but that’s far from a certainty after losing Kirk Cousins. Seeing the defense become one of the league’s top 10 for points and yards allowed would go a really long way toward getting back into the final tournament.
To achieve the goal, the safety trio that Spielman is responsible for drafting will need to be great.
No one within the corner cluster was around during the Spielman era. So, too, are the linebackers entirely different. Among the edge rushers, only Patrick Jones bridges the gap, but he is facing an uphill battle to stick around the roster. And then the group along the iDL has been remade, as well.
As a whole, the defense is only featuring Smith, Metellus, Bynum, and Jones as the carryovers. Apparently, Spielman did an excellent job of identifying and drafting safety talent.
Vikings fans are living through a tremendously exciting point in the team’s history. Justin Jefferson is a historically-great receiver, the defensive front is loading up on pass rushers, the offensive skill is abundant, the OT tandem is excellent, and the new defensive coordinator is a wonderful strategist (which is to say nothing of the HC). Oh, and there may even be a new, young passer to start rallying around.
Within all of that, though, don’t lose sight of the safety trio and the GM who brought them to town in the first place.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this piece.
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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.