2024 Won’t Be a Transitional Year For the Vikings Defense
Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Brian Flores inherited a defense that finished 31st in the NFL in total defense under Ed Donatell’s passive, shell-coverage approach in 2022. Under Flores’ aggressive style in 2023, the Vikings defense had splits of 16th in total defense, 11th in defensive DVOA, and 13th in points allowed. This speaks to Flores as a coach, player developer, and schematics wizard.
Even though there was a lot of turnover of aging players — they were replaced by unproven players in DJ Wonnum, Josh Metellus, Akayleb Evans — who had to take on larger roles but arguably had their best seasons under Flores’ tutelage. He also got the most out of undrafted rookie Ivan Pace, Jr., who played well and started 11 games.
Flores is now equipped with offseason additions that bring the versatility in skills he covets, along with first-round pick, Dallas Turner. Turner was the top-rated defensive player in this year’s draft according to consensus boards, and few saw the Vikings landing him. Flores’ creative, blitz-heavy but dynamic schemes are now primed to be a top-10 defense in 2024.
This offseason the Vikings added two edge rushers in Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel that are versatile, disruptive starters as younger replacements to Danielle Hunter’s production. If both can remain on the field, each provides the versatility that best suits Flores creative schemes. Including the skillset fit and overall potential of Dallas Turner, this EDGE group has depth that was lacking last season at the most important position on defense.
The Vikings also added Brian Cashman, Shaq Griffin, Jerry Tillery, L Jonah Williams, and Jihad Ward, which won’t create much excitement but are veterans that add depth to the roster. Cashman and Griffin are projected as starters depending on what mix of positional groups Flores decides to use most. Mekhi Blackmon and Jaquelin Roy, picked in last year’s draft, showed promise and are looking to take steps in their development as they get more playing time this season to add more options to the roster.
The data depicts Flores’ philosophy as primarily being aggressive and mixing in a diverse array of max coverage schemes. His blitz rate was the highest in the league at 49.4%, while also leading the league in dropping eight into coverage, which resulted in giving up the fewest explosive plays in the league. His defensive creativity is evident, but knowing what play and when to call them is what makes him so effective. He reads the game in a way that considers situational football and selects plays that put his players in advantageous opportunities. The timing of his play-calling in addition to his dynamic schemes are the advantages that make him one of the best defensive coordinators in the league.
Flores’ base defense is predicated on odd-man fronts that he uses to create different looks and confusion for opposing offenses. His creativity is expansive with no stone seemingly going unturned. The Vikings played 180 snaps without a defensive lineman on the field which is the most since the stat started being tracked in 2006 and another 143 snaps with one defensive lineman. This is exactly why Flores values players with the ability to make multiple reads and preserve gap discipline in an untraditional base defense, where they give up traditional size for speed in certain sets.
He truly tailors his systems to his players, not the other way around. Last season, Flores relied on high blitz and zone coverage schemes given his personnel but historically utilized three down lineman, one-gap defensive fronts to force plays outside that depend on hybrid players to make plays in man coverage. Despite not having a true nose tackle in a hybrid 3-4 base and relying on Harrison Phillips to fill that role, the defense still finished tied for 3rd in rush yards allowed per attempt when the Vikings were tied for 20th in 2022 under Donatell. While in Miami, Flores’ defense consistently ranked in the top 10 for man coverage. In 2023 with the Vikings, the defense led the league in zone coverage frequency at 69%.
There was a stretch between Weeks 4 and 14 last season where the Vikings’ defense efficiency ranked No. 1 in the NFL, showcasing Flores’ unique traits to instill discipline and elevate execution. However, during Weeks 1-3 and 15-17, the Vikings ranked 27th and 32nd respectively, seemingly caused by learning a new system early in the season and injuries piling up at the tail end of the season. Despite personnel limitations, Flores’ ability to get more with less is evident and the constructive changes made to the roster this season should only enhance his confidence within the creative play-calling, dynamic scheme repertoire he has developed.
The 2024 season for the Minnesota Vikings can be viewed as a transition year as they turn the page from the Kirk Cousins era, but that won’t be the case for the defense. Additions such as Greenard, Van Ginkel, Cashman, and Turner equip Flores with the defenders he needs to compliment players like Metellus, Smith, Bynum, and Pace Jr., who align more with his hybrid schemes. Flores showed us last season that personnel limitations can’t stop him from building a productive defense. Now that he has better tools to work with, he’ll further prove to be a mastermind at his craft, propelling the Vikings to a top-10 defense in 2024.
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