The Overlooked Vikings Extension Candidate
Josh Frey
|
The Minnesota Vikings have been hard at work retaining young talent over the past couple years.
Last offseason, both T.J. Hockenson and Josh Metellus got contract extensions that will keep them in Vikings uniforms for years to come. This year, Justin Jefferson is the main focus in that regard, but there is another overlooked Vikings extension candidate who could be in the mix as well.
That player is safety Camryn Bynum, who put together a stellar year for the Vikings by recording 137 tackles, two tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, nine passes defended, and a pair of interceptions.
The Overlooked Vikings Extension Candidate
Bynum was selected in the fourth-round of the 2021 NFL Draft, and 2024 is scheduled to be the final year of his rookie contract if he and the Vikings don’t agree to a new deal this offseason.
The Vikings safety has taken a somewhat similar path to success as Metellus. Bynum spent much of his rookie season as a special teams contributor aside from the three starts he made from Weeks 9-11 while Harrison Smith was dealing with an injury. In those three starts, Bynum showed tremendous signs of promise, recording 18 tackles, a sack, two passes defended, and an interception against the Baltimore Ravens.
In part because of this promise, Bynum made the transition to being a starter in 2022 after Xavier Woods left in free agency. However, the second-year safety seemed a bit in over his head in this role, and he struggled a bit in coverage. PFF graded him at just 50.9 in coverage during the 2022 season, which ranked 57th among 66 safeties with at least 400 snaps.
However, Bynum’s career was completely revived in Brian Flores’ defense this past season. The safety had a tremendous 2023 campaign, and he was a huge reason for Minnesota’s defensive success. PFF graded him at 69.7 in coverage, which ranked 21st among 50 safeties with at least 400 coverage snaps.
On top of this rejuvenated success, Bynum offers help in other aspects as well. The safety has been spectacular as a support piece in run defense, grading out at 79.2 in that department by PFF, which put him in 12th among 67 safeties with at least 200 snaps in run defense.
Finally, Bynum offers versatility in the secondary. He spent his collegiate career at the University of California as a cornerback, and especially in 2023, he was asked to play this position on occasion down the stretch of the year as Mekhi Blackmon and Byron Murphy dealt with injuries.
Especially with Harrison Smith approaching the end of his career, the Vikings should be thinking about the future of their safety position. Lewis Cine has not lived up to the hype as a first-round pick to this point, and while that could still change, Bynum seems like a surefire option to continue being a successful player in Flores’ defense.
A lot of attention will go towards Jefferson’s contract extension this offseason, but Bynum should be on the list of priorities as well.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Focus and Pro Football Reference.
The Vikings Must Address These Positions in the 2024 Offseason
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.