Defensive coordinator Brian Flores has certainly improved the Minnesota Vikings’ defense during his tenure with the team. But one aspect the team can still improve upon is its ability to get a pass rush up the middle. Last season, defensive tackles Harrison Phillips and Jonathan Bullard finished 176th and 185th out of 185 defenders who rushed the passer at least 200 times.
So how does Flores improve upon that performance? According to The Athletic’s Minnesota Vikings beat writer Alec Lewis, the team may have two solutions to the problem. The first could come in the form of free agent acquisition Jerry Tillery. Tillery, a former first-round pick, was the 88th-ranked pass rusher last season. Not on the level of Quinnen Williams, Chris Jones, or Aaron Donald (as Lewis points out), but certainly an improvement.
The other potential solution Lewis suggests is to increase the frequency with which the defensive line uses stunts. Last season, the Vikings were 27th in the league in defensive stunts, using them on just 23 percent of snaps per PFF. Contrast that with Flores’ 2021 Miami Dolphins team, who used stunts on more than 30 percent of defensive snaps, good for third that season.
Bringing in former Miami Dolphins EDGE Andrew Van Ginkel should help the Vikings improve that number if that’s the route the defense goes. Van Ginkel has shown good speed and agility during his years with the Dolphins, and he’s familiar with Flores’ scheme and what he wants out of his pass rushers.
Vikings first-round pick Dallas Turner should also be able to help on that front, as he “can be a menace as bender between the tackles,” as Lewis puts it. Those two additions to the Vikings front should allow Flores to increase their creativity, something he excelled at last season despite the poor pass-rushing performance up front.
