Check Out the 4 New Starters on the Vikings’ Defense
The Vikings’ defense is going to be welcoming several new starters. All that remains to be determined is who, how many, and why.
Consider, for the sake of argument, an insistence that Brian Flores will be welcoming a cluster four new starters. Some fuzziness exists due the calendar being stuck in May; sensibly enough, there’s not yet the clarity that September football provides. Still, there’s some strong hints for where things are going, allowing us to proceed into an educated guess.
4 New Starters on the Vikings’ Defense
If the Vikings roll out a base defense, then the collection of talent could look like what’s included below:
| DT: Caleb Banks | NT: Domonique Orange | DT: Jalen Redmond | ||
| OLB: Andrew Van Ginkel | LB: Blake Cashman | LB: Eric Wilson | OLB: Dallas Turner | |
| CB: Byron Murphy Jr. | CB: Isaiah Rodgers | |||
| S: Josh Metellus | S: Jay Ward |
The above listed personnel is entirely plausible. What’s important to remember, though, is that an NFL defense is a dynamic entity (especially for Coach Flores). But, to be sure, the players contained above are a completely reasonable crew of ball players. The new starters are Banks, Orange, Turner, and Ward.
Opting for a look that’s more focused on shutting down the pass would lead to different personnel (think nickel defense, referring to five defensive backs).
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| DT: Caleb Banks | DT: Jalen Redmond | |||
| OLB: Andrew Van Ginkel | LB: Blake Cashman | LB: Eric Wilson | OLB: Dallas Turner | |
| CB: James Pierre | CB: Byron Murphy Jr. | CB: Isaiah Rodgers | ||
| S: Jay Ward | S: Josh Metellus |
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Yet again, the Vikings are working with four new starters. Turner, Banks, and Ward are all taking over a starting spot. FA signing James Pierre is the outside corner. Losing Jonathan Greenard in that draft trade makes the pass rush less dangerous, at least on paper. Turner is going to have a major chance to prove doubters wrong. Personally, I’ve yet to see enough to conclude he can be as good as Greenard.
Of course, there are others who are going to get worked into the mix. In particular, there’s Jake Golday, the young linebacker who appears likely to move all over the front seven.
Seeing Levi Drake Rodriguez earn starts won’t be at all surprising. He’s a touch small and went late in the 2024 NFL Draft, but he’s a ball player. So, too, does Jakobe Thomas boast some upside due to his snarl and size. Chuck Demmings is the CB4. Does he force his way onto the field at some point?
Even Ivan Pace Jr. looks like a sneaky candidate as somebody who has trended in a negative direction but who remains a young, upside player. What of Theo Jackson back at safety? Ty Ingram-Dawkins could get tossed into the mix along the d-line.
Brian Flores is moving into his fourth season as the DC of the Minnesota Vikings. Slowly at first but then very quickly, Coach Flores has morphed the defense into one that reflects how he wants to play ball. The new starters are meant to further free Flores to terrorize the opposition’s offense.
