Very Sneakily, The Vikings’ GM Has Begun Replenishing a Position of Need
Truth be told, there’s still work ahead for the Vikings’ GM when it comes to fortifying the defensive tackle spot.
Nevertheless, it’s worth noting that several youngsters are around and contributing. Until landing on injured reserve, UDFA Taki Taimani was soaking up some snaps as a run-stuffer for Brian Flores. So, too, has Jalen Redmond showed off some upside in his game while Levi Drake Rodriguez hangs around the roster awaiting a larger role. Are these three part of both the present and the future?
The Vikings’ GM and The DT Spot
Back in the offseason, there was a lot of chatter about picking up an impact player at defensive tackle.
No shortage of purple ink got spilled on the possibility of adding Christian Wilkins. The former Dolphin and current Raider has a history with Brian Flores, so the fit made a lot of sense. There was a coaching connection, some cap space, and a position of need. Match made in Valhalla, right?
In the end, Sin City ended up being the final destination for Wilkins. He agreed to a four-year pact that’s promising to kick over $110 million, so Minnesota seems wise to have passed on the impact defender.
The pivot involved fortifying the edge rusher position so that it could help to ignite the pass rush. Not only are guys like Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel screaming off the edge, but heavier edge rushers like Patrick Jones II and Jihad Ward are being tasked with kicking inside to get some push up the middle.
Oh, and another thing: Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has done some in-season business to keep the DT position steady by extending Harrison Phillips. The DT1 is more known for his run defense, an area of the game where he excels due to a ruggedness that refuses to be moved off of the line of scrimmage. And, to his credit, Phillips has 2 sacks and 4 QB hits, so there have been a few moments when he has gotten after the QB.
Bubbling beneath the surface of these more obvious decisions and indecisions are the contributions from the young guys.
Coming out of the draft, Levi Drake Rodriguez snagged a lot of praise. Go back and re-read some of the words from Kevin O’Connell. Mr. Rodriguez has some fans among Minnesota’s top leaders even if he just recently got his NFL career off the ground.
One also thinks of Redmond, an athletically-gifted defensive tackle who slid out of the 2023 NFL Draft. The Carolina Panthers welcomed him to the NFL but he wasn’t able to stick around with the flailing franchise. The Panthers’ misstep has turned into the Vikings’ gain. Recently, Redmond got re-added to the active roster.
In just 49 defensive snaps, Redmond is sitting on 3 tackles, 1 sack, 2 tackles for loss, and 1 QB hit. He’s noticeable on the field. A bit undersized, Redmond tested well in both speed and strength going into the draft. He’s quite possibly a diamond in the rough, someone who makes the Vikings’ GM look pretty smart.
Taimani is nursing an injury, but he was playing an important role as a big body in the middle of the defense. Clogging up running lanes while soaking up double teams is a key part of playing good run defense. To that end, the 25-year-old Taimani is helpful. He has earned 70 snaps on Brian Flores’ defense.
In the offseason, the Vikings will (very likely) make it a priority to pick up a formidable pass-rushing threat from the DT spot. Lost within that apparent need, though, is the emergence of a trio of late-round/UDFA DTs — Levi Drake Rodriguez, Jalen Redmond, and Taki Taimani — who could end up being critical pieces of the puzzle both now and in the future.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap 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, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.