By: Jake Rajala

The Minnesota Vikings are arguably the most complex NFC team at the moment. The Vikings have an elite offensive trio, but they still failed to make the playoffs last season. The talent on the roster wasn’t superb enough to keep Mike Zimmer in the building and it’s clear they will truly look to be a real NFC contender with Kevin O’Connell moving forward.

With that enunciated, there will surely be barriers for the Vikings next season. Here are the three biggest obstacles for the Vikings right now.

• Aging secondary

The Vikings didn’t ink one of the golden free-agent cornerbacks, but they were able to retain Patrick Peterson. PP will be one of the top NFC North CBs, but it’s far from certain if the Vikings will unveil a more impressive pass defense than their 28th ranked pass defense with PP in 2021.

The Vikings royalty in Harrison Smith will soon require a youth teammate, as well. Smith had a mere one interception last season (second-worst int count in a single season). Malcolm Jenkins recently retired and it seems Smith could hang up his cleats in 2023 or 2024.

If the Vikings offense can be overly impressive, the Vikings may be able to escape a dreadful pass defense. The Bengals had the 26th ranked pass defense and the Chiefs ranked 27th in pass YPG allowed.

• Alexander Mattison

There will likely be numerous points in the season where the Vikings lean on Alexander Mattison to be effective. Mattison will either be the true x-factor, or he will be an average ball-carrier. Mattison had a career-high 719 total yards last season, but he also had a career-low of 4.3 yards per touch. The 23-year-old Mattison can be an underrated difference-maker for MIN.

• Consistent effort

It’s easy to believe that NFL players will give 100% effort in each matchup because they’re “professional athletes”. Although, it’s clear that NFL/sports teams fall victim to being upset by less talented squads frequently. Unfortunately, the Zimmer-led Vikings team was defeated by the Detroit Lions and they also lost “seven other games by eight or fewer points” in 2021. It’s important that O’Connell brings a more intense tempo in year one as the Vikings ring leader.

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The Minnesota Vikings desperately need more playmakers in their secondary. The Vikings ranked 28th in passing yards per game allowed last season. It’s clear that the 33-year-old Harrison Smith can’t solve all their pain in defending the pass. Smith was a force with three sacks and a career-high 114 tackles last season, but they need more studs in zone coverage and man-to-man coverage.

The Vikings top corner Patrick Peterson is also a free agent in 2022 and it’s unclear if they will bring back Peterson. If they bring him back, It would still be ideal if they add a veteran cornerback on a cheaper deal. If they don’t bring back Peterson, they could replace PP with a potentially more talented veteran CB. The Vikings need to get flat out more productive on defense, but particularly in their secondary.

It would make sense for the Vikings to pursue established cornerbacks in free agency, especially when they have great chemistry on offense with Kirk Cousins, Dalvin Cook, Adam Thielen, and the Top 5 WR Justin Jefferson. So, the question is: which cornerbacks could the Vikings pursue in 2022? Well, here are a few options that make a ton of sense.

Stephon Gilmore

The Minnesota Vikings were once the top trade destination for Stephon Gilmore. They can still have their chance to ink Gilmore in 2022. I believe Gilmore is slightly more talented than Peterson at this stage and they should prioritize him over Peterson. I don’t expect the Vikings to strike for gold with J.C. Jackson (and they really shouldn’t) or bring pack PP, but they should be aggressive at the CB spot with Gilmore on a short-term deal (three-four years). The former Defensive Player of The Year and introvert would be the star in the secondary and he could join a team that’s seeking to wreak havoc in the NFC playoffs.

Sidney Jones

The former Washington Husky has the potential to be a very nice value pickup by Minny. Sidney Jones had two interceptions in 2019 (12 games) and two picks in 2020 (9 games), but I expect his best production is ahead of him. He may be looking to prove himself on a one-year deal and the cap-strapped Vikings could look for a talented CB on the cheaper side of things. If Jones shines in 2022, they can sign the 25-year-old to a long-term contract in the 2023 off-season.

Richard Sherman

The former Stanford WR Richard Sherman may not be the sexiest free-agent target at this stage in his career, but he could be available to the CB-needy Vikings late in the free-agent period. It’s worth noting that Sherman made plays with the Bucs last season and he made the Pro Bowl not too long ago (2019).

I expect Sherman to weigh his options and aim to sign with a talented team with a strong fit for him. I don’t see the top AFC and NFC teams spamming his phone for meetings over dinner, but the talented Vikings with their aching secondary could fit in well with him. Sherman could get in shape with the Vikings during training camp and he could be a quality CB2 on the playoff-hopeful Vikings team.

Jason Verrett

The injury-riddled 49ers cornerback and former first-round pick Jason Verrett has the potential to be a star, but he’s very often injured. Verrett has played only one game in three of the past four seasons. He will surely need to take a prove-it deal with a new team this offseason.

The Vikings could still keep in touch with his agent and scoop him up late in the process. Perhaps, Verrett is due for at least several games of play in 2022. His efforts could prove vital against Aaron Rodgers and other key NFC contenders late in the season. Verrett, who is 5’9, was once the best CB per play over 2014 and 2015.

P.J. Williams

Pro Football Focus nicely stated that P.J. Williams was the Saints most improved player in 2021. Williams, who once projected to be a first-round pick, made big plays (pick-6 against Tom Brady) and laid enormous hits against opposing WRs (such as Chris Godwin).

Williams could be a nice hybrid safety/cornerback addition for the Vikings team that needs talent and versatility in their secondary. Williams is under the radar, which could fit perfectly into the Vikings hands. Williams had a career-high 3 interceptions, career-high 2 sacks, and a career-high 4 QB hits last season.

Honorable mention

J.C. Jackson

It’s not clear where J.C. Jackson will sign in free agency, but it doesn’t appear he will reunite with the Pats. The Vikings are cap-strapped, but they could open up money (Cousins’s or Harrison Smith’s contract?) and lobby hard for the top free-agent CB. There are high-end NFL teams with more money than Vikings like the Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers, and Las Vegas Raiders.

Jackson ousted 8 interceptions last season and 9 interceptions in 2020. It’s obvious that Jackson will look to continue pushing for a Hall of Fame career on a quality team. Jackson would bring a huge boost to the Vikings defense and he would really help the Vikings become a key NFC contender in 2021.

Joe Haden

If the Vikings let PP walk out the door, they could replace him with a talented, cheaper CB in Joe Haden. The former Brown and Steelers CB made the Pro Bowl in 2019 and he has 7 interceptions, 35 pass deflections, and he has 155 combined tackles over the past three seasons. The Steelers could let Haden walk and retool their defense with younger studs, too.

Haden isn’t young (32 years old), but he can still play at a high level with the Vikings in 2022 and potentially 2023. Janoris Jenkins was a contributor at 33 years old for the AFC’s one seed in the Titans last season. Trust in Haden being effective for the Vikings in a short-term push for a playoff berth.

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By: Ladarius Brown

Since the NFL draft is over, many analysts are giving their favorites for the various awards such as MVP, ROTY, (Rookie of the Year), and OPTY (Offensive Player of the Year). However, I want to focus on a race that will be interesting in my eyes: the Defensive Player of the Year Award (DPOY). You have your usual list of players such as the L.A. Rams DE Aaron Donald (3x and reigning DPOY), Cleveland Browns DE Myles Garrett (6th in the NFL with 12 sacks), and the Miami Dolphins CB Xavien Howard (led the NFL with 10 interceptions). To me, there is a player that could be a strong contender at the season’s end for the award: Minnesota Vikings All-Pro safety Harrison Smith.

Entering his 10th season in the league, Smith is a very aware and composed game-changer who makes intelligent reads on the football field. He assesses the action adeptly then uses his solid speed and size (6’2”, 214 lbs.), and wingspan to either tackle those holding the ball or intercept passes. Smith owns an amazing all-around package of instruments to play secondary. Last season, he was tied for 2nd in the NFL with five interceptions.

Why do I feel strongly about his chances of winning DPOY? As mentioned earlier, he possesses all of the necessary tools for the safety position. Another one that is he is on the field on nearly every defensive snap. In 2020, he played 1,030 snaps, or 95.9%, of all the Vikings defensive snaps and the 7th most amongst strong safeties.

Overall, the Vikings’ defense was nothing to write home about as they were 27th in the league in total defense. However, Smith was a bright spot as he led the team in interceptions and 5th on the team with 54 tackles. This team is young on defense, which can benefit Smith because of his experience.
Most NFL teams exploit youthful defenses by throwing it more when the secondary is as young as the Vikings. Smith may not necessarily have the same lateral movement as he did a few years ago but his nose for the ball is still there. He had five QB hits (no other secondary had more than one). As this defense continues the youth movement, HC Mike Zimmer and co-defensive coordinators Adam Zimmer & Andre Patterson will be leaning heavily on Smith to make plays in every facet.

If the reports are true and Zimmer switches to a 4-2-5 defense, it fits what Smith can do. In a 4-2-5 defense, the free safety plays centerfield. The strong safety lines up as an “overhang” defender on one side of the box, and the Star (Safety) or Nickelback (not the band..I think) is on the other side.
The star or Nickelback defender, who may or not be Chad Kroeger, is an additional safety: someone who can play in coverage but is, as well, a superb tackler and productive in run defense, and who can also be a successful blitzer. Smith fits the role of that additional defender because of his superb tackling and productivity in run defense. Throw in the fact that he will have more opportunities to blitz and acquire more sacks.

Over the last ten years, defensive lineman has won the award the most. Defensive backs have won the DPOY two times in that span (SS Troy Polamalu ”“ 2010 & CB Stephon Gilmore ”“ 2019). If he continues to play between 95-96 of the defensive snaps as he did last season, he will be a contender to be the 3rd defensive back to win the award in eleven years.

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