Is One of the Vikings’ Defensive Starters in Danger of Losing His Starting Spot?
Technically, Ivan Pace Jr. could remain as Minnesota’s LB2 and still lose his starting spot.
Quite often, Brian Flores likes to roll with three safeties. Getting Harrison Smith, Josh Metellus, and Camryn Bynum onto the field at the same time allows for some maximum chaos (something that Kevin O’Connell thinks is vital to Minnesota’s defensive success). Is the Vikings’ defense thus going to see a bit of a minimizing of Ivan Pace Jr.? Does the linebacker get removed from the starting lineup without being demoted at linebacker?
Ivan Pace Jr. & The Vikings’ Defensive Personnel
Pace’s greatest strength is his aggression. At times, really aggressive players can overpursue, missing plays in the process.
Mike Zimmer used to say that he’d rather say “woah than go,” a coaching phrase that speaks to needing to rein-in a player rather than motivate a player to operate with urgency and physicality (if memory serves, Flores recently articulated his own version of the saying). Pace’s problem has nothing to do with needing to “go.” The man is highly motivated and his aggression is almost always a good thing.
After some offseason speculation that Mr. Pace would get the green dot, Blake Cashman has been the one who is getting the communication from the DC. Truth be told, it’s not too much of a surprise. Cashman has been in the NFL since 2019, so there’s a lot more wisdom to draw on. Plus, the veteran Cashman has been employed in New York and Houston, so he’s seen a fair bit going into his sixth NFL season and third NFL team.
Taking Pace off the field is easier since he doesn’t have the same role when it comes to communicating the play.
The playing time so far has been painting a reasonably clear picture. Eliminate Week 3 since Pace was hurt; instead, zero-in on just the Week 1 and Week 2 games. In those contests, Cashman was on the field for 63 snaps (89%) and 69 snaps (99%). Meanwhile, Pace was on the field for 39 snaps (55%) and 48 snaps (69%). So, there’s already a pretty large discrepancy in playing time, one that suggests Cashman is the preferred linebacker.
When it comes to Cashman v. Pace, the debate is fairly clear. Cashman gets the nod as the lone linebacker.
Ivan Pace thus needs to fend off Mr. Metellus. And, perhaps, Kamu Grugier-Hill, a savvy veteran who snagged an interception in Week 3. The LB3 isn’t a world beater but has 118 games of NFL experience. No doubt, Flores values that kind of experience and wisdom. In all likelihood, Pace isn’t in danger of losing his LB2 slot, but seeing the veteran get sprinkled in won’t be too surprising.
Back to Metellus, though.
Technically, the safety has only started a single game even though he has been getting an ample workload across the opening three weeks. Do things change after the excellent performance against the Texans? Limiting C.J. Stroud and that receiving trio to just 7 points is magnificent work. Notably, Metellus played in 67 snaps, which was 100% of the defensive total.
Currently, Metellus is sitting on 16 tackles, 1 interception, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 QB hit. He is the proud owner of a 76.2 PFF grade, 14th-best among qualifying safeties.
Meanwhile, Pace (in one less game) is sitting on 15 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 QB hit. More discouraging is that his PFF grade is down at 58.1, putting him at 47th among qualifying linebackers.
Overreacting to a single game would be foolish. Yes, Minnesota played excellently with Metellus getting the nod in Week 3, but each week presents its own challenges. There are going to be times when getting a true linebacker onto the field will be preferable to a versatile safety, even one as impressive as Mr. Metellus.
The combination of Blake Cashman’s excellent play, though, alongside the obvious trust in Josh Metellus puts Ivan Pace’s starting spot in peril. The irony is that he hasn’t done anything wrong and nor is he dropping down the linebacker depth chart. Rather, Minnesota may just have a better configuration for most weeks.
Keep an eye on who gets the initial snaps in Week 4. Don’t be surprised if an available Ivan Pace Jr. doesn’t pick up the start.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and PFF 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.