Jerry Tillery’s Minor Injury Complicates the Vikings DL Room
Credit: Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports
One of the biggest talking points surrounding the Minnesota Vikings throughout training camp has centered around the defensive line. Aside from Harrison Phillips, who was top 10 in the league in run stop win-rate last year, the Vikings’ interior defensive line struggled against the run as a group. To make matters worse, Minnesota didn’t have a legitimate pass-rushing threat on the defensive line, which meant that Brian Flores had to bring the blitz if the Vikings wanted to get a sack.
This offseason, the Vikings tried to sign Christian Wilkins in free agency, but they were outbid by the Las Vegas Raiders who offered Wilkins a 4-year, $110 million deal for the 28-year-old defensive tackle. That was simply too steep of an asking price for Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s liking. Ultimately, Kwesi ran out of viable starting options on the free agent market and decided to moneyball the position instead. Replacing Dean Lowry is former first-round pick Jerry Tillery, who failed to live up to expectations with the Los Angeles Chargers and Raiders.
As it currently stands, Minnesota has three clear-cut starters on the interior defensive line in Phillips, Jonathan Bullard, and Tillery. Out of those three players, Tillery provides the most upside as a pass rusher while Bullard and Phillips are stereotypical run-stuffing defensive linemen. Unfortunately, neither of the latter provide much value on passing downs. Now that Tillery recently suffered a “significant laceration” on his calf that required stitches, the current state of the Vikings defensive line room is further complicated.
Minnesota released their first unofficial depth chart on Tuesday which revealed the current pecking order at defensive tackle. The three primary backups are Jaquelin Roy, James Lynch, and Jonah Williams. The only thing these three guys have in common is that their first names all start with the letter J, as each brings a different skill set to the table, and are at different points in their careers. So without further ado, let’s do an overview of each player to see which dark horse candidate could earn himself a consistent role.
Williams might have the inside track to being primary backup behind Tillery. He signed with the Vikings this offseason after spending the first three years of his career with the Los Angeles Rams. It was there that Williams crossed paths with Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, who was the Rams offensive coordinator under Sean McVay. O’Connell has shown in the past that he has a soft spot for former Rams players, whether it be Johnny Mundt or Brandon Powell, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Vikings rely on Williams heavily this season as a rotational player.
Lynch is another player worth keeping an eye on. The Vikings drafted him in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, back when Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer were running the show. Lynch tore his ACL last August and missed the entirety of the 2023 season.
That injury may have actually bought him time, however. For a while, it looked like Lynch could have been on his way out, being a Zimmer-era holdover. However, he’s managed to work his way back from injury and has stood out in training camp thus far. There is a very real chance Lynch makes the roster over some other players who have been receiving more positive attention from the fanbase.
One player who has been getting a lot of attention is second-year defensive lineman Jaquelin Roy. Once projected to be a first-round pick in PFF’s way-too-early 2023 mock draft, Roy is a former 4-star recruit who has a ton of potential. While Jaquelin Roy has been rotating in with the first-team defense on occasion, beat writer Alec Lewis hasn’t been impressed with Roy. He has also reportedly taken fewer snaps with the first-team defense compared to other younger defensive tackles who are also vying for a roster spot.
That includes Vikings seventh-round pick Levi Drake-Rodriguez, who is perhaps the most intriguing dark horse to make the final 53-man roster. While “First one in, last one out” may be an overplayed trope used to describe hard-working players, Drake-Rodriguez is the perfect example of a player who somehow makes the backend of a roster through sheer power of will.
Drake-Rodriguez’s relentless motor has been evident in 1-on-1s, and he is an infectious personality who is known for sleeping at the practice facility so he’s always the first one in and the last one out. Given the fact that Levi is getting more run with the starters than Roy is, it wouldn’t be shocking if he seizes that final spot.
Outside of the three established starters at defensive tackles, the Minnesota Vikings have four players who could earn a roster spot or carve out a consistent role in the rotation, particularly on third downs. Although Tillery’s injury isn’t expected to keep him on the sidelines for very long, his absence will force the Vikings to experiment with different players to see who can provide the most value in a limited capacity. There isn’t a huge gap between any of these backups, and the next three preseason games will ultimately determine who makes the roster.
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