There’s Some Buzz Surrounding an Unsung Vikings Defender
The Minnesota Vikings have retooled their roster in the offseason, trying to fix last season’s worst problems. That includes the defensive and offensive lines, the addition of another running back, but also the swap at quarterback, and some new youth at cornerback.
There’s Some Buzz Surrounding an Unsung Vikings Defender
While some starters like Dalton Risner and Stephon Gilmore haven’t been re-signed, the only two major departures are Cam Bynum and Sam Darnold.
Darnold signed a three-year deal in Seattle, and the Vikings, of course, already had his replacement in the building. The safety position is a little different, because the once highly drafted safety, Lewis Cine, is no longer with the team.
Well, the replacement might still be on the roster. Theo Jackson has been a reserve safety for three seasons, but is poised to move up on the depth chart. Fellow safety and future Ring of Honor inductee Harrison Smith was asked about Jackson. He couldn’t be any clearer in his analysis, indicating that his younger teammate might just be the real deal, and the opportunity has finally come.
“He’s always making plays. Literally from the day he got here, I was like ‘How did the Titans let him go?’ And that’s not to knock the Titans. He’s a good player, and sometimes the numbers just don’t work out. Sometimes guys need to get cut to play better; I’m not saying that’s this instance.”
Jackson was a 2022 sixth-round pick. The Titans selected the University of Tennessee alumnus, who was also born in Tennessee. After the preseason, they waived him and re-signed the hometown kid to the practice squad.
Following Lewis Cine’s devastating leg injury in 2022, the Vikings were looking for another depth safety, so they snatched the rookie. He has appeared in 43 games through three seasons, and his presence ultimately allowed the Vikings to part ways with their former first-rounder.
Smith continued:
“Everything I’ve seen from Theo is he’s got a lot of ability, he’s smart, he knows how to be a pro, which I think is very important, [considering] the length of a season, all the different roles you can play and whatever role he’s plugged into, special teams, starting role on defense or a few plays here or there on defense, he comes in, he does his job at a high level, he makes plays, he’s energetic. He’s big-time in my opinion.”
There haven’t been too many opportunities for the now 26-year-old to star on defense because Bynum, Josh Metellus, and Smith have been fairly durable, but when asked to make plays, he has always delivered.
In those 43 games, he has logged 222 defensive snaps, primarily when Smith missed a game last year, and he secured the game-winning interception. He added another 875 special-teams snaps, accumulating 47 tackles, two picks, and one fumble recovery in his reps.
Jackson was a restricted free agent this offseason, but the Vikings didn’t play any restricted games, just handing him a three-year deal for almost $10 million instead.
With Bynum gone, he’s currently the third safety on the depth chart behind only Smith and Metellus. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores surely wants to continue to use those two in the box, allowing Jackson to slide in for Bynum as the deep safety.
Jackson also earned praise from his defensive coordinator last preseason. Flores mentioned his “growth” and “improvement,” adding: “Anyone who watches Theo work, from a meeting standpoint, from a training standpoint, from just an understanding of concepts and a knowledge of the game, I think he’s starting to put a lot of things together. And he’s growing in confidence, which that comes with preparation and he prepares the right way. And it’s showing up on the field.”
The safety will be impacted by the draft. If the Vikings add a highly-skilled safety like the often-mocked Malaki Starks or Nick Emmanwori, all of that praise might be moot.
If the front office doesn’t add one of them, however, he would be a main beneficiary of the offseason moves, and we would finally get an extensive look at him during the season.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.