It’s safe to say the Minnesota Vikings didn’t live up to expectations on defense last season.
The Vikings, led by defensive coordinator Ed Donatell, finished near the bottom in points allowed per game, allowing a whopping 25.1 points per game. The Vikings were also 31st in the league for total yards allowed per game.
The poor showing led to the firing of Donatell during the off-season, with the Vikings choosing to fire former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores as their defensive coordinator.
Despite Flores’ hiring and multiple upgrades to the defense, many don’t expect the Vikings to see significant improvement on that side of the ball.
Pro Football Network’s Arif Hasan recently ranked every team’s defense and placed the Vikings near the bottom at 26th in the league.
“The Vikings are slated to improve defensively, but not enormously. They revamped their secondary, which helps, but the turnover they’ve had makes them difficult to project,” Hasan wrote. “Losing Za’Darius Smith deals a pretty big blow to their hopes, but they’ve improved overall. Where they’re coming from wasn’t that great to begin with, though.”
None of this should come as a surprise.
Although the Vikings added two immediate starters in free agency with cornerback Byron Murphy and edge rusher Marcus Davenport, the Vikings are a finished product on defense.
While the return of players like Lewis Cine and Andrew Booth, Jr. from injuries could boost the team’s fortunes, Flores has his work cut out for him.
If the Vikings want to become one of the league’s better defenses, Flores will have to find ways to maximize the talent available while hiding some of their significant weaknesses.
