A Great Vikings Starter May be Cruising Toward a Demotion
Current LB1 Blake Cashman has proven to be a great Vikings starter, but there’s nevertheless some merit in seeking to bump him down the depth chart.
To be sure, Cashman’s position in the starting lineup shouldn’t be in question. What could be needed, though, is someone to take over as that top ‘backer, allowing the veteran to shoulder a smaller workload and to be leaned on to do a variety of different things (blitz, coverage, run defense, and so on).
Vikings Starter Blake Cashman & The Need for a New LB1
Age and health are the Cashman concerns, not on-field ability.
A strong athlete and leader, Mr. Cashman is an excellent middle linebacker. He thinks the game at a high level, allowing him to relay the call from DC Brian Flores. Limiting his impact has been an inability to be out there for all seventeen games. Cashman’s debut season as a Viking involved playing in fourteen games before going on to play in thirteen games.
When available, Cashman shoulders a hearty workload. The 2024 season involved playing 895 snaps on defense — a career high — which works out to 94% of the defense’s total. As an encore, Cashman was out there for 790 snaps on defense, coming in at a 96% portion of the defense’s pie.
What’s been so encouraging for the Vikings is that Cashman has been a stud when he’s been healthy enough to get out there. Clearly, he’s a trusted player.
In 2025, Blake Cashman piled up 144 tackles. So, too, did he offer 2 sacks, 3 quarterback hits, 4 tackles for loss, 2 passes defended, and 1 forced fumble. Stuffing the stat sheet isn’t an issue for the defender who played his high school ball at Eden Prairie.
The issue for Minnesota is that the linebacker position is ultra thin. Some lottery tickets are at the position in the form of Jacob Roberts alongside Josh Ross, but their path to the roster is yet to be determined. The current best guess is that these two are challengers for the practice squad rather than for a job on Sunday (with the caveat that sometimes players explode out of nowhere, such as DT Jalen Redmond).
Shuffling Cashman from Minnesota’s LB1 to Minnesota’s LB2 would mean infusing the position with someone who is (very likely) younger, healthier, and with higher upside. Think back to when Danielle Hunter took over for Brian Robison for a recent example, albeit at edge rusher.
On PFF, the list of free-agent linebackers is impressive. The fourth-overall FA is Devin Lloyd. Consider the blurb: “Lloyd delivered a career year in the final season of his rookie contract, earning an 88.4 PFF grade that ranked third among linebackers. A complete linebacker, he ranked inside the top 10 at the position in PFF run-defense, coverage and pass-rush grades.” Note that he’s 27.
So, too, is there Devin Bush of the Browns (he’s 27), Nakobe Dean of the Eagles (he’s 25), Leo Chenal of the Chiefs (he’s 25), Bobby Wagner of the Commanders (he’s 35), and Demario Davis of the Saints (he’s 37) all coming in within the top fifty of PFF’s list of free agents. Add it all together and it’s not a bad time to be in the market for an off-ball linebacker.
Some combo of youth, cost, and upside will be key factors.
Of course, there’s the option to bring Eric Wilson back. Doing so would mean some continuity alongside some renewed commitment to a defensive front that can be multiple. After all, Mr. Wilson proved quite effective when burdened with playing edge rusher.
Moreover, Ivan Pace Jr. is still within the Vikings’ roster orbit even if a trade appears to be what’s most likely.
What’s really needed, though, is a domino effect that sees Blake Cashman shuffled down into being an excellent LB2 rather than a good LB1. The snug budget makes the effort difficult but not impossible. Some creative accounting could involve adding a new ‘backer to eat into the snaps, lessening what’s placed on the 29-year-old Cashman’s shoulders, possibly keeping him healthier and fresher in the process.
