As difficult as it is to imagine, the Minnesota Vikings need to begin preparations for a life without their long-time defensive stalwart Harrison Smith. Hitmen rarely are able to retire willingly from their profession. Therefore, we must imagine after 11 NFL seasons that Smith has ideas of gracefully leaving the profession without accumulating too much more wear and tear.
The Vikings must implement their vision for the future at safety, and a large portion of that depends on Lewis Cine’s recovery and development. The former first-rounder suffered a compound lower leg fracture during Minnesota’s London game against the New Orleans Saints, which sidelined him for the rest of the 2022 season.
While he seems to be recovering well, Brian Flores will have to integrate Cine into an entirely new playcalling system. Therefore, he will likely have to work to earn snaps behind veteran Camryn Bynum to start the year. Although Cine is inexperienced, he has plenty of potential. He has a ridiculous athletic profile and has shown a willingness to learn.
Cine flashed at Georgia as a fast-flying, hard-hitting safety with incredible lateral speed and quickness, achieving honors such as being named first-team All-SEC and CFP National Championship Defensive MVP. The Vikings took Cine 32nd overall in 2022.
Cine should provide substantial rotational snaps immediately, and with solid upside. He has the potential to develop into an above-average starting safety by the season’s end.
Bynum is another option at safety, albeit a less promising one. Bynum totaled a 58.7 PFF grade, with a 50.9 coverage grade in 2022, and allowed six touchdowns in coverage. The former 2021 sixth-round draft pick is under team control through 2025 and could improve in a system better suited to his strengths.
The Vikings could also look outside the organization to replace Harrison Smith:
Chauncey Gardner-Johnson
Proj. market value via Spotrac: 5y, $66m
Chauncey Gardner-Johnson signed a one-year, $7 million deal with the Detroit Lions, an anti-climactic ending to his free-agency period after a highly publicized feud with the Philadelphia Eagles. Gardner-Johnsn’s agency referred to Philadelphia’s three-year, $24 million offer as “fake” in a series of since-deleted tweets.
Gardner-Johnson has a reputation as an incendiary character, with many cataloged incidents of antagonizing opposing players and teams. He would immediately bring some intensity that the secondary room does not have.
Taylor Rapp
Proj. market value via Spotrac: 3y, $30m
Rapp is perhaps the most likely option of the listed free agents. He spent time with Kevin O’Connell during O’Connell’s tenure with the Los Angeles Rams. Rapp finished with a 76.2 PFF grade and a 72.9 coverage grade in 587 coverage snaps in the best year of his four-season career, resulting in a surprising one-year $1.8 million contract with the Buffalo Bills.
While he is on the smaller end for a safety, he’d essentially replace Bynum as prototypical shorter free-range safety. He also has higher floor play and upside.
Antoine Winfield Jr.
Proj. market value via Spotrac: 4y, $57m
In the run-up to the 2020 NFL Draft, Antoine Winfield Jr. looked like a dream prospect for the Vikings. The son of former Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield Sr., Winfield played at the University of Minnesota, further bolstering the thought pipeline linking him to the Vikings.
Winfield experienced immediate success in the NFL, arriving in Tampa just ahead of Tom Brady and their Super Bowl run. Winfield had his star moment when he flashed the “peace sign” at Tyreek Hill after an incompletion late in the Super Bowl.
Given that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will regress after Brady’s retirement, Winfield could potentially become available if not determined to be an integral piece of the next core. The Vikings could acquire him through a trade or wait until the offseason and target him in free agency.
Winfield landed at a 77.8 PFF grade, with an 86.2 run-defense grade (higher than any player on the Vikings) and an incredible 91.4 pass-rushing grade. Within Flores’ scheme, Winfield would be let loose to load the box and rush the passer. Winfield has also shown prolific ability to defend the pass, with plays like this interception defending 6’4” Michael Pittman, which exhibited his explosive vertical ability.
The Vikings don’t have a clear plan for life after Harrison Smith. However, they have many homegrown options and a fascinating upcoming free-agency period to look forward to. With a defensive mind like Brian Flores under contract, the team will be able to give young players a chance to succeed in a very dynamic system, and fans should have optimism for the defense’s future.
