The 2023 National Football League season is over for the Minnesota Vikings and now it’s time to reflect on what was and what could have been.
The Vikings had quite the roller coaster ride this season. After starting 1-4, they lost wide receiver Justin Jefferson and went on a five-game winning streak and won six out of their next eight games. They ultimately lost their final four to finish the season 7-10.
As we reflect back on the season that was for the Vikings, we as a staff took a look at it in multiple ways by handing out awards in different categories.
Here are our choices for Vikings defensive player of the year.
Other awards:
Surprise Performace
Rookie of the Year
Managing editor Tyler Forness: S Camryn Bynum
Going into the season, we knew the Vikings were going to start using three safety sets. Initially, the thought was that it was due to the lack of talent at linebacker but in reality, the Vikings had three really good safeties worthy of starting. Bynum blossomed in his third season and first under Brian Flores. The time he spent learning from Harrison Smith paid off, as Bynum was all over the field for the Vikings, including lining up n the line of scrimmage and bailing out just like Smith did. Bynum finished with a PFF grade of 73.2 which placed him 20th among safeties. With Smith likely gone and Metellus extended, Bynum could see his contract renewed this offsesason.
Columnist Judd Zulgad: OLB Danielle Hunter
Hunter might be nearing 30, but he sure didn’t look like an aging player as he finished fifth in the NFL with a career-high 16.5 sacks. He’s about to become a free agent and his success in the Vikings’ 3-4 scheme means he should strike it rich either in Minnesota or elsewhere. Hunter was unhappy with his contract entering training camp and didn’t take part in practices as part of a “hold in.” He reached an agreement on a one-year, $17 million contract that included $3 million in incentives and also prohibited the Vikings from placing the franchise tag on him this offseason. Hunter’s standout season means that he earned the extra $3 million and made it clear he remains one of the NFL’s best sack artists.
Columnist Saivion Mixson: OLB Danielle Hunter
Hunter finished the season with 16.5 sacks, which is the most for any Viking since Jared Allen’s record-setting mark in 2011. Hunter was a consistent force on the edge and a key cog in Flores’ philosophy this year. Flores likes to speed up quarterbacks and force them, and subsequently the offense, to move at a pace that they aren’t comfortable in. For that philosophy to work, there has to be consistent pressure on the quarterback, and when the blitzes weren’t getting the job done, Hunter was. His future as a Viking will be in question as he becomes a free agent again this off-season, but his impact on this season won’t be. He was the most consistent and impactful player on Minnesota’s defense.
Columnist Chris Spooner: S Josh Metellus
In a year where there was significant turmoil on the offense, defense was the calling card for the 2023 Minnesota Vikings. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores did a masterful job with the defense this season, and it kept the Vikings in a number of games where the offense couldn’t stop spinning its wheels or get out of its own way. You never knew what the Flores defense was going to throw at you, and a large part in that was the role that do-it-all defender Josh Metellus played for the defense.
Flores has always loved guys who can play multiple roles and do them well, and Metellus was that Swiss Army knife guy for him this year. There wasn’t anything that Metellus particularly excelled at, but he did a little bit of everything, and he did it well. Metellus finished the season as the 34th ranked safety according to PFF grade, with scores above 70 in both overall defense and his pass rush, but that only scratches the surface of how important and versatile Metellus was. Without his flexibility, this defense looks very different.
