Vikings’ Most Underrated Player Has Been Revealed
Last offseason, the Minnesota Vikings overhauled their defense, exchanging about half of their starting unit. Among the newcomers were free agents Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel. Both have quickly established themselves among the league’s most respected pass rushers, leading to a Pro Bowl nomination for the duo.
PFF Names Vikings’ Most Underrated Player
But another addition didn’t get that much buzz in his debut season with the Vikings. Linebacker Blake Cashman was a steal in free agency and quickly became a key figure in Brian Flores’ unit. Unlike Van Ginkel and Greenard, he didn’t land his first Pro Bowl trip.
PFF’s Jonathon Macri named him the franchise’s most underrated player.
He wrote, “Cashman is a relative unknown in the league as a former fifth-round pick who, outside of his rookie season and prior to becoming a starter in 2023, had failed to crack 150 defensive snaps in three straight years.”
Cashman, born and raised in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, was a fifth-round pick of the New York Jets in 2019. Injuries kept derailing his career early on. He was limited to seven games in his rookie season, four as a sophomore, and three in year three. The Jets then shipped him to Houston for a sixth-round pick.
As a Jet, Cashman played in only 14 games through three years, starting seven contests. After playing 427 defensive snaps in his rookie campaign, he only saw the field on 36 in the following two years.
In 2022, he was finally available for the most part, playing 16 of 17 games, primarily as a special-teams player. Cashman logged 149 defensive plays. His breakthrough came in 2023 when the new head coach, Demeco Ryans, trusted him, letting him play 657 defensive snaps in 13 starts. The former Golden Gopher recorded more tackles that year than in his previous four seasons combined.
The Vikings then took the chance, betting on another possible jump in a full-time starting role. And that’s exactly what they got out of the deal. Cashman signed a three-year contract worth $22.5 million, and so far, he’s a bargain.
Macri continued: “However, Cashman broke out in a big way in 2023 with the Texans, earning a top-10 PFF overall grade for his position (82.1), which helped him land a three-year deal with Brian Flores in Minnesota. Cashman delivered another strong year in 2024, playing a career-high 947 defensive snaps, ranking 22nd in PFF overall grade (72.0) and faring well in run defense (76.3).”
Cashman was truly excellent. The only blemish in his inaugural Vikings season was three missed games, including the mid-season defeats against the Lions and Rams, with turf toe.
He logged 112 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and eight passes defended, all career highs.
It didn’t take long for his teammates to recognize his importance. Someone who knew him from their shared experiences in Houston, Greenard, said after the second game of the season:
“I’ve always been saying, even back when I first met Cashman, I said, ‘Listen – when he’s healthy, he’s one of the best in the league.’ He’s a field general. He keeps everybody calm, he knows the defense really well, gets us in the right position. ‘Keeps us calm,’ I keep saying that because at the end of the day, you all seen how loud it was out there, and we’re still trying to get the call. He’s the one who’s able to manage, weather the storm in that aspect, and get everybody on the same page. I love playing with him.”
Cashman was fantastic as an all-around linebacker, showing his skills as a pass rusher, in coverage, and against the run. He also made the calls on the field as the green-dot player, relaying the calls from Flores to his teammates.
The defender just turned 28 last week, and the Vikings will once again rely on him to manage the defense on the field. He’s one of the few irreplaceable players and a key player in Minnesota’s defense. It’s time for non-Vikings fans to get to know the man.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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