There’s a lot to be excited about with Brian Flores returning to coach one of the league’s best units, but that doesn’t mean this roster doesn’t need some major renovation on defense.
Had the Minnesota Vikings gone a different direction at defensive coordinator this offseason, I would’ve penciled in cornerback as their biggest defensive need. But Flores has made a living in Minnesota out of scraping by with Byron Murphy and a bunch of other bargain bin corners, so it wouldn’t shock me to see them do it again with a scheme that seems constructed to do so.
But that doesn’t mean their secondary is adequate.
In my opinion, Minnesota’s top defensive need this offseason is safety, especially with Flores returning.
The way that Flores has attacked and manipulated offenses using his safety personnel during his Minnesota tenure has been remarkable. Going back to this previous season and beyond, Flores has masterfully used the variety of safeties to fill different roles in his defense.
Harrison Smith‘s experience and instincts blitzing and playing close to the line of scrimmage, Camryn Bynum‘s play-making ability and ball-hawking in the deep third, or Josh Metellus‘ versatility filling in various roles vacated by different blitzers allowed the Flores defense to get as wacky and creative as it’s been.
Cam Bynum left last offseason, and the Vikings occasionally felt his vacancy last year. Harrison Smith is trending towards hanging up his cleats. Josh Metellus remains the only bona fide starter returning, and his whole schtick depends on not being pigeonholed into a traditional safety role, meaning the Vikings need other bodies to fill that void. Rotational players Theo Jackson and Jay Ward have also yet to prove they could fill the role vacated by Bynum, much less Harrison Smith.
Safety may not traditionally be a high-value position among football cognoscenti, but it means a lot to Flores and is a glaring need for this team.
It’s an interesting market for safeties this offseason. As safety becomes a more en vogue position across the league, this market inefficiency becomes harder to exploit. A talking point around the league is that the market for safeties is growing rapidly, as traditional roles for safeties disappear and versatility becomes more valuable to defenses. Names like Kyle Dugger or Andre Cisco are interesting fits for Flores’ defense, who should immediately be on their radar if they manage to hit the open market.
In the draft, there are some interesting opportunities as well. While the top safety in the draft, Caleb Downs, is a pipe dream, there are other guys like A.J. Haulcy or Dillon Thieneman, who are intriguing prospects in the late first/early second-round range.
I’m especially impressed by Haulcy, who brings elite zone instincts and ball-hawking skills that could really shine in the Flores defense, which lets DBs react quickly to fast-developing plays. Haulcy also hits like a Mack truck, which speaks to me on a spiritual level.
However, as the Vikings add talent and versatility to their safety room, it remains a top priority for me this offseason until it’s resolved. While it may not be the need that they attack with the biggest dollar figure or highest draft pick, it will result in one of the most impactful roles on the team this fall.
Vikings fans will be keeping their fingers crossed that things continue to trend in the right direction with Brian Flores. When they do, they should immediately start scouting for the next franchise favorite on the back end.
