The Minnesota Vikings’ defense was a disaster last season. But when it comes to who was to blame, it’s about as clear as the chicken and the egg.
Ed Donatell preached that his scheme was not the reason for Minnesota’s weekly struggles. Even Patrick Peterson defended Donatell on his All Things Covered podcast, saying that the scheme would have worked if the players had executed it better.
There was also the belief that Father Time was against the Vikings. Years of running back the same defense that was one of the NFL’s best through the late 2010s had caught up with them, culminating in a first-round loss.
Kevin O’Connell fired Donatell after one season in Minnesota. Although his search to find his replacement was entertaining, the Vikings finally hired Brian Flores on Monday evening. Now Flores must lead the unenviable task of fixing O’Connell’s defense.
A Bill Belichick disciple who spent three years as the Miami Dolphins head coach, Flores is qualified for the position. But Minnesota isn’t a destination for promising defensive coordinators because they may not have the talent for an easy turnaround.
The Vikings have struggled defensively for three seasons, including two under defensive guru Mike Zimmer. Flores may come from the Parcells tree, but Zimmer was somewhere in the trunk. He was still leaning on Parcells for advice until he was fired following the 2021 season.
Although it was clear Minnesota’s defense needed an overhaul in 2019, the front office couldn’t get him the talent he needed for a quick reboot. The Vikings started three young cornerbacks in the 2020 season opener against the Green Bay Packers, but only Cameron Dantzler remains on the team. The issues bled through the rest of the defense as Rick Spielman’s dart throws didn’t produce talent on the field.
The Vikings tried to slap Band-Aids on the defense with several free-agent signings before the 2021 season, but Zimmer largely saw the same result. A lack of speed and quickness failed his man-heavy scheme, and Minnesota hired O’Connell and Adofo-Mensah last offseason.
The new regime tried a similar method to add pieces to the defense, but it didn’t work out. Za’Darius Smith was one of the NFL’s best pass-rushers in the first half of the season, but his balky knee slowed him down in the second half. Signing Harrison Phillips also added a starter for Donatell’s 3-4 scheme. But like 2021 free-agent signing Dalvin Tomlinson, he couldn’t provide a consistent pass rush.
Danielle Hunter‘s struggles transitioning to an outside linebacker exposed the back half of the defense. Eric Kendricks and Jordan Hicks couldn’t keep up with speedy running backs and tight ends. Peterson and Dantzler weren’t fast enough to cover the likes of D.J. Chark and Isaiah Hodgins. Harrison Smith and Camryn Bynum spent the entire season in coverage, and injuries created the ultimate downfall.
When the Vikings began their search for a defensive coordinator, the current state of the roster had to be a starting point. Minnesota needed to get younger and faster on defense. But with only four draft picks and the Vikings roughly $24 million over the cap, adding talent might be a pipe dream.
That’s likely why their search for a defensive coordinator was a wild ride. Ryan Nielsen interviewed for the job but took the same position with the Atlanta Falcons. Sean Desai interviewed for the second-straight season but took himself out of the running. Fears rose that Mike Pettine – whose philosophies in Green Bay were similar to the ones that got Donatell fired – would wind up with the gig. But it was the pursuit of Ejero Evero where things got really interesting.
The Everoller-coaster began when Vikings fans feared that Sean Payton was holding Evero hostage while interviewing other defensive candidates. When Payton released Evero from his contract, the Vikings were the first team mentioned, with an interview reportedly planned for early this week.
Like any good defense, the Carolina Panthers intercepted Evero, and Tom Pelissero reported that he would take the job without setting foot in Minnesota. We don’t know if Evero preferred the talent in Carolina, but Jaycee Horn, Brian Burns, and Jeremy Chinn sound like a better nucleus than the aging unit that Flores will inherit.
That’s where this year’s offseason will be important. We don’t know how many veterans the Vikings will bring back, but Flores could get the most out of them.
O’Connell described Harrison Smith as the “perfect player for the defensive structure we want to play” during his introductory press conference last February. However, Donatell had him play coverage on just under 98% of his snaps. Flores’s scheme, which primarily operates out of Cover 1, could allow Smith to play in the box. Still, Smith, 34, could just as easily fall off the same age cliff his teammates did last season.
Hunter is another player that could benefit by putting his hand in the dirt. He finished eighth among edge rushers with 76 total pressures and 17th in the NFL with 10.5 sacks. However, his numbers are more impressive, considering that he didn’t know what he was doing schematically for most of the season. At age 28, there’s a good chance Hunter has several double-digit seasons left.
The Vikings could also lean on free agency to fill holes. Regardless, Flores will likely have to rely on youth to get the job done.
Last year’s draft class didn’t provide many contributors, but there is a scenario where they rebound this season. Lewis Cine’s season ended before it really began. His speed and athleticism could make a big difference if he can stay on the field. Andrew Booth Jr. also had injury issues, but his talent wasn’t a question as a potential first-round pick in last year’s draft.
Akayleb Evans is coming off a rookie season where he sustained three concussions, so the most prepared prospect may be Brian Asamoah. A third-round pick in last year’s draft, Asamoah started to carve out a role toward the end of the season. He could have provided some support in the playoff loss to the New York Giants had he not also suffered a concussion.
Even if Cine and Asamoah are the only contributors from that group, they are two players who can fix the issues that plagued the defense. It would be a welcome bonus if Booth and Evans overcome their injury issues.
Flores’ work wouldn’t be complete without a strong draft class. It’s impossible to expect the Vikings to duplicate their 2015 draft class that produced Hunter, Kendricks, and a few more starters. However, this draft could have more of the current front office’s influence.
At this time last year, Adofo-Mensah was finalizing the hire of O’Connell and trusted the incumbent staff to run the draft. This year, he was front and center at the Senior Bowl, evaluating prospects with his own eyes and even talking to Flores on the sidelines about his new job.
If the Vikings can have a solid draft, Flores will have some talent to work with. If they shift some veterans out for picks, the front office can take even more swings with the hopes of landing a few solid players.
This doesn’t sound like a recipe for immediate success, but the bar is low. If Flores can make this group a middle-of-the-pack unit, he’ll be a hot commodity for head coach openings next season. But it starts with the talent, and that task begins now.
