A Young Viking is Stepping into a Golden Opportunity
Jay Ward, a young Viking, may be stepping into the best opportunity he’ll get in the NFL. Or, at least, the best chance he’ll ever get in Minnesota.
The versatile defensive back was drafted in 2023. Since then, Ward has mostly been a special teams option, only seeing a collective 63 snaps on defense across his two seasons in the NFL (contrast that number with his 616 special teams snaps). Does he see a larger role going forward now that Harrison Smith is contemplating retirement and Camryn Bynum could be departing?
Young Viking Jay Ward & MIN’s Safety Position
To be sure, seeing talented veterans depart becomes a lot easier if there’s young in-house talent ready to step into more prominent jobs.
Most importantly, there’s Josh Metellus, a great leader who has a brain in his head. Mr. Metellus gets tasked with lining up all over the place, a role that demands that he have a tremendous understanding of the game and the opposition. His work ethic must be formidable and he obviously is gifted intellectually. Partner those attributes with a good blend of size and speed and Metellus is well-suited to be the queen on Brian Flores’ chess board.
But while Metellus is a nice place to start, the safety position needs more help, even after re-adding Theo Jackson.
Ward, 24, stands at 6’1″ and weighs 188 pounds. He ran a 4.55 forty going into the draft, good speed but not elite when compared to a lot of NFL corners and receivers. Minnesota brought him to the Twin Cities with the No. 134 pick.
Consider the scouting report going into the draft courtesy of the NFL website: “Versatile defensive back with a fearless playing mentality. Ward has good size and length for a nickel cornerback, but he lacks a little thickness as a safety who likes to hit. He can be counted on to do his job in run support from the slot and has adequate coverage talent from off-man and zone. He will make plays when he’s in position to do so but doesn’t have the route anticipation needed for strong on-ball production just yet. Ward takes good angles to the football in coverage and run support as a safety. His versatility improves his chances of becoming an NFL starter in the future.”
The main things that stand out, at least from a Vikings perspective, is the repeated emphasis on Ward’s versatility alongside his “fearless playing mentality.” Every defensive coordinator in existence wants a fearless safety in the lineup; Flores will be no different.
Of course, the Vikings could decide to bring in some outside help to bolster the secondary.
One thinks of Miami’s Jevon Holland — a Canadian — as a particularly appealing option given the history of elite play alongside his history with Flores. Only 25, Holland could partner with Metellus and Jackson for years to come.
Other safeties who are set to hit the open market — tip of the cap to PFF — include San Francisco’s Talanoa Hufanga, Kansas City’s Justin Reid, Las Vegas’ Tre’von Moehrig, Atlanta’s Justin Simmons, Washington’s Jeremy Chinn, Los Angeles’ Elijah Molden, and Indianapolis’ Julian Blackmon.
Combined, a departing Smith and Bynum would mean losing more than 2,000 snaps at safety from the 2024 defense. There needs to either be a retention of talent, a promotion of talent, and/or an outside infusion of talent.
The NFL is a place where actions speak louder than words. A situation where Smith and/or Bynum depart without there being a huge free agent signing would signal that there’s a lot of in-house confidence in Jay Ward’s ability to step up.
The Vikings have ample cap space. Ward’s cap charge comes in at just $1,193,386.
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 social media (Bluesky & Twitter). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.