3 Young Vikings Defenders Are in Trouble
The main attraction in Minnesota’s training camp will undoubtedly be rookie passer J.J. McCarthy. Fans want to see whether the first-rounder shows some flashes and can become the franchise’s savior. The spotlight will be on the competition between him and Sam Darnold, although Darnold is heavily favored to lead the team in Week 1.
3 Young Vikings Defenders Are in Trouble
Other significant storylines include the arrival of running back Aaron Jones and Jordan Addison’s continued growth. The early reports about rookie Dallas Turner have also been promising.
A trio that entered the franchise with some promise could be in their final months with the organization after some underwhelming play. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s 2022 draft class has earned him some major criticism, and that noise could reach new heights when he trims the roster to 53 players following the preseason.
Lewis Cine
His first draft choice came delayed after trading down 20 spots with the Detroit Lions. With the final pick in the first round, Adofo-Mensah selected Georgia’s safety, Lewis Cine. The national champion arrived with some excellent tape from college and he played a key role in an outstanding defense.
In Minnesota, however, his first obstacle was second-year player Camryn Bynum, who kept the starting gig early in the season. Josh Metellus replaced Harrison Smith during a minor injury, suggesting that Cine never reached top backup status. In Week 4 of his rookie campaign, Cine fractured his leg on special teams, ending his season prematurely.
Smith, Bynum, and Metellus are the top three safeties. Theo Jackson is the primary backup, and last year’s rookie, Jay Ward, is a superior special teams contributor. His performance at OTAs was impressive.
As the 53-man roster is a numbers game, Cine is on the outside looking in and must show enough promise to keep his spot. At this point, it would be surprising if he made the team.
Andrew Booth
Cornerback Andrew Booth joined the Vikings in the second round. He was viewed by most pundits as a first-round talent, but folks were alerted because of his injury history. Still, the pick was generally praised, and because of the struggles in the secondary, it was an easy path to the starting lineup.
Booth missed the start of the season because of a hamstring issue and then had massive problems when he saw the field. A knee injury ultimately ended his year, and he only played six games and 105 snaps in his rookie season.
The defender stayed healthy in his sophomore year but only saw the field on 151 defensive snaps. Mekhi Blackmon was drafted, and while the starters Akayleb Evans and Byron Murphy didn’t always play consistently, they were mostly available.
Booth will face Murphy, Evans, Blackmon, veteran Shaquill Griffin, and rookie Khyree Jackson in training camp. As the team only kept four cornerbacks last year and is unlikely to carry more than five this time, Booth is also in trouble.
Brian Asamoah
In the third round in 2022, Adofo-Mensah added linebacker Brian Asamoah. He is undersized but extremely fast and, therefore, a typical modern-day linebacker. The Oklahoma prospect was a replacement in his first season behind veterans Jordan Hicks and Eric Kendricks, but he slowly pushed them.
Late in 2022, defensive coordinator Ed Donatell and head coach Kevin O’Connell claimed they wanted to find more opportunities for him. Indeed, his snap counts climbed, and he made some impact in his limited chances, including a forced fumble versus the New York Giants.
As Kendricks was released, the expectations were high for Asamoah to fill the opening in the starting lineup. Ivan Pace’s emergence and Hicks’s solid play in 2023 squashed that theory. After the year, he had to undergo shoulder surgery, and it was reported that it bothered him all year. Asamoah was a solid contributor on special teams but only logged 36 snaps on defense.
Blake Cashman replaces Hicks as the do-it-all linebacker, and Pace will likely replicate his high usage. Veteran free agent Kamu Grugier-Hill has been the primary backup, according to Alec Lewis (The Athletic). If the coaching staff prefers one of the young linebackers on the team, Asamoah would be an afterthought. Abraham Beauplan, Dallas Gant, and K.J. Cloyd are his competitors.
Compared to Cine and Booth, Asamoah has a much easier path to staying employed by the Vikings and is favored to stay on the team. Still, the fact that he continues to drop on the depth chart is concerning.
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Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt