The s are relying on their protection to steer them this yr. Questions at quarterback linger, and the staff's five-game profitable streak to finish the 2025 season appeared to sign a change in philosophy: management the ball, keep away from turnovers, and let Brian Flores' unit take over.
However can the Vikings' protection be dominant if the road isn't pretty much as good? After buying and selling Jonathan Greenard to the s in the course of the draft, Minnesota is anticipating third-year EDGE rusher Dallas Turner to lastly show why he was taken seventeenth total within the 2024 draft.
Considerations additionally linger at inside linebacker. After reducing veterans Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave one yr after giving them giant contracts, the Vikings are relying on a number of younger gamers to step into their vacated roles.
Bradley Locker of PFF is skeptical, naming 6.
The most important loss confronting this unit is edge rusher d, whose 131 pressures since 2024 are the 13th-most on the place. The Vikings do carry again r and l, however they’ll have their work reduce out for them to individually step up — and there’s minimal depth behind them. The inside of Minnesota’s line of defense is even greener, with rookies Caleb Banks and Domonique Orange poised for important roles subsequent to d.
A coach like Flores has the acumen to masks a weaker line of defense, particularly given his blitz-heavy scheme. However how effectively the Vikings’ entrance 4 can rush the passer and cease the run looms as a defining ingredient of their season.
It's arduous responsible an outsider for being suspicious of the road. However Locker admits that Flores can get essentially the most out of his protection, it doesn’t matter what he's given. Take, for instance, the Vikings ranked second in passing yards allowed in 2025 regardless of coming into the season with solely 4 cornerbacks on the energetic roster. Solely Byron Murphy Jr. (1,045) and Isaiah Rodgers (963) performed over 200 snaps at cornerback.
Whereas the line of defense is a complete totally different animal, it will be sensible to belief Flores in elevating the unit. Simply don't be stunned if outsiders query its effectiveness heading into the season.
This text initially appeared on Vikings Wire: ;
