A Trade Idea Would Fix an Annual Vikings Problem
The Minnesota Vikings’ defense has undergone some fundamental changes in the last few years. The first step was when Mike Zimmer was let go after being the head coach for eight seasons. Ed Donatell took over the role of the defensive play-caller. A year later, however, head coach Kevin O’Connell pulled the plug and named Brian Flores as his defensive coordinator.
A Trade Idea Would Fix an Annual Vikings Problem
Flores has shaped the group into one of the better ones in the NFL with a blitz-heavy scheme. In his third offseason, he hopes the front office can acquire more reinforcement, similar to last season when Blake Cashman, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Jonathan Greenard changed the entire unit.
This time, the coordinator undoubtedly would be happy about an improved cornerback room. All three starters are set to become unrestricted free agents in March. Another point of emphasis will be the defensive line.
It has been a problem for years, but the Vikings missed out on any big-name additions in free agency and the draft a year ago, leaving top lineman Harrison Phillips next to a rotation of Jerry Tillery, Jonathan Bullard, Jalen Redmond, Jihad Ward, and Taki Taimani.
Bleacher Report thinks the Vikings should inquire about Colts defender DeForest Buckner.
Their trade proposal looks like this:
Vikings get:
- DL DeForest Buckner
- 2025 fifth-round pick (152nd overall)
- 2025 sixth-round pick (191st overall)
Colts get:
- 2025 third-round pick (97th overall)
- 2025 fifth-rounder (161st overall)
Bleacher Report explained why it makes sense for the Vikings: “The Vikings took a big step up in scoring defense this season. They finished fifth with Flores conducting a defense that had the highest blitz rate in the league. With a little more talent up front, they could be the best defense in the league. That’s the kind of ceiling they would have by adding a player like Buckner into the mix.”
The lack of an interior pass rush has hamstrung the purple defense in the last few years. All the employed defensive tackles have had their strengths in the running game. Linval Joseph, Michael Pierce, Dalvin Tomlinson, and Harrison Phillips are all primarily run defenders.
“For all the success the Vikings had, they don’t have a dominant interior defender,” BR added. “With Jonathan Bullard and Jerry Tillery set to hit free agency, they will have to find answers for who will play on the inside. Buckner is 30 years old, but he’s still a handful for teams to block. He had 6.5 sacks and eight tackles for a loss in 12 games played with the Colts this season.”
Coming out of the University of Oregon, Buckner entered the NFL as the seventh overall pick in the 2016 draft. He spent the first four seasons of his career with the 49ers, but they decided to move on from him when he was about to get paid and sent him to Indianapolis.
He is a three-time Pro Bowler (2018, 2021, and 2023) and was named to the first-team All-Pro in 2020, a year after making the second team in 2019.
In 141 career games, Buckner has recorded 67.5 sacks and 605 tackles. He is one of the most consistent and reliable players in the league. In his first eight seasons in the league, he logged at least 15 games. Last season, for the first time in his career, Buckner missed some time and only played in 12 games because of a high ankle sprain.
His PFF resume is just as consistent as his number of games.
- 2016: 71.6 (31st/125 eligible interior defenders)
- 2017: 81.3 (18th/124)
- 2018: 79.3 (23rd/112)
- 2019: 81.5 (11th/116)
- 2020: 89.6 (5th/124)
- 2021: 71.9 (23rd/108)
- 2022: 82.3 (8th/127)
- 2023: 81.8 (12th/130)
- 2024: 81.9 (7th/126)
The downside is quite obvious. Buckner is 30 years old and will turn 31 in March. He has not shown any signs of slowing down, but the age-related decline will occur at some point in the next few years.
The Colts would save $12.2 million in cap space by trading their starting defender who is under contract for three more seasons.
Minnesota, meanwhile, has the cap space to fit his deal into their books. Buckner would immediately fix the woes on the defensive line.
Editor’s Note: Information from Over The Cap, PFF, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt