The Vikings’ D-Line Slugfest is Just Getting Started
Already, a key member of the Vikings’ d-line has been shown the door (at least in the present moment).
Well-respected veteran Jonathan Bullard has been a mainstay for the defensive front over these past several seasons, putting in work for both of Ed Donatell and Brian Flores. Across 46 games and 38 starts with the Vikings, Bullard piled up 1,537 snaps on defense (the most of any team in his career as an NFL journeyman). He no longer has a spot on the roster and one wonders who is going to follow.
The Vikings’ D-Line: A Slugfest
So far, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah hasn’t really been able to nail the 3T/5T position.
Past options include Esezi Otomewo, Dean Lowry, Ross Blacklock, Jerry Tillery, and Bullard. Jaquelin Roy perhaps deserves a mention, as well. Of those players, Bullard did the best, but he’s more of a strong depth option rather than a difference-maker in the starting lineup.
So, what to do? Keep trying, both in free agency and the draft.
Bullard hasn’t been brought back; Tillery was allowed to wander over to Kansas City. Replacements have been found (and for top dollar, no less).
Coming aboard are Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, a pair of veterans with well-earned reputations for being a menace to opposing quarterbacks. If healthy, Allen and Hargrave are going to create issues on passing downs, especially with the talent that’s coming off the edge. Flores, quite possibly, could have his most dangerous front since becoming the Vikings’ DC. That’s the hope, at least.
In the 2025 NFL Draft, the Vikings opted for Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins in the 5th. True, the college production was lacking, but Minnesota is betting on young upside. Give the kid time to learn behind great veterans, soaking up wisdom as he polishes his game and acclimates to life in the pros.
Meanwhile, Harrison Phillips got extended back in 2024. He’s now working on a deal that runs from 2025 through to 2026. He’s still being leaned on to be a rugged run-stuffer, someone who clogs running lanes while being deceptively strong despite not resembling past nose tackles who offered huge size (Linval Joseph, Pat Williams).
Stand back and assess who has been considered. All of Allen, Hargrave, Phillips, and Ingram-Dawkins are virtually assured of roster spots in September. Injury is the only thing capable of dislodging them.
Where does that leave Jalen Redmond, Levi Drake Rodriguez, and Taki Taimani? Any room for other depth options — Travis Bell, Jonathan Harris — to do something unexpected, stealing away a roster spot in the process?
And then one thinks of someone like Tyler Batty, the mammoth edge rusher could could plausibly get kicked inside due to his size (think Jihad Ward, someone who also hasn’t been brought back).
The Vikings’ d-line competition is going to be intense. Redmond should be considered the favorite to snag the DT/DE4 spot (with Ingram-Dawkins probably at DT/DE5). Last season, Redmond showed some good burst and skill, being able to make plays in the backfield, as evidenced by his sack, QB hit, and 6 tackles for loss in limited snaps. Redmond, however, will need to re-earn his spot; the competition is such that nothing is guaranteed despite the promise of 2024.
What’s clear is simply that some players whom Minnesota holds in high regard are very likely to lose their roster spot. Only five or six d-linemen are going to be kept given that the edge rusher position will similarly be demanding five or six roster spots.
Jonathan Bullard has been left off the roster due to the crunch that’s already evident. By the end of August, things will be even more difficult as the Vikings’ d-line needs to make more subtractions in the descent to 53.
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 Twitter and Bluesky (@VikingsGazette). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.