The Minnesota Vikings will step onto the field in Week 1 of the 2021 season with a defense that stands above the rest.
When the 2013 season came to a close, the Minnesota Vikings decided to part ways with head coach Leslie Frazier after three years.
Frazier’s final season with the Vikings saw the team finish with a 5-10-1 record and the NFL’s worst defense. The performance by Minnesota’s defense was especially surprising since Frazier was hired due to his excellence as a defensive coordinator for multiple years.
To fill their head coaching vacancy, the Vikings went with Mike Zimmer, a longtime defensive assistant in the NFL that was passed over for a lead gig by far too many teams.
After the hiring of Zimmer, Minnesota’s defense went from the bottom of the league to consistently ranking as one of the NFL’s best units.
That was until last year when injuries and inexperience proved to be too much for the Vikings defense. Towards the end of the season, Zimmer stated that it was one of the worst defenses he’s ever coached. He really didn’t know what to do other than to just throw up his hands.
This year, Minnesota’s top priority during the last few months has clearly been to avoid the defense having a repeat of last season’s performance.
With several new additions, a number of top players returning from injury, and Zimmer motivated more than ever to prove his doubters wrong, there are multiple reasons why the Vikings already have the best defense in the entire NFL.
Experience
Last season, the Vikings took a risk by letting go of several longtime contributors and replacing them with rookies or guys who previously spent time at the bottom of the depth chart. This risk obviously did not pay off and Minnesota’s defensive performance suffered as a result.
This year, the Vikings defense will feature players that have an extensive amount of starting experience. This doesn’t mean Minnesota’s defense is going to resemble the lobby of the local nursing home, but they will have more players out on the field that know what it takes to succeed in the NFL.
Of the 11 guys that are currently projected to open the 2021 season in the starting lineup for the Vikings defense, nine of them have started at least 30 games since beginning their NFL careers.
The experiment with a younger defense failed for Minnesota last year, so the team’s front office went out this offseason to make sure that Mike Zimmer had more than enough veteran pieces to help the unit get back to being elite.
Talent
Experience is certainly a good quality to have in the NFL, but talent is what will truly put a defense or offense over the top.
So the Vikings defense is not only full of veterans, but the level of talent in each specific position group is among the highest in the league. There aren’t many NFL teams that have one potential All-Pro in all four levels of their defense, let alone multiple.
On the defensive line, Minnesota will trot out a defensive end in Danielle Hunter, who is capable of leading the league in sacks. Plus, the middle of the line will now feature a frightening pair of defensive tackles in Dalvin Tomlinson and Michael Pierce who will allow the Vikings defense to swallow up opposing running backs before they are able to break free for a big gain.
Minnesota’s linebackers will be led by the modern-day version of the “Bash Brothers” in Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr. Both are multiple-time Pro-Bowlers and Kendricks has been performing at an All-Pro level for the last two seasons.
Unlike last year, the Vikings secondary now features an overflowing amount of talent and veteran experience. There’s Mr. Dependable in Harrison Smith, a former All-Pro with something to prove in Patrick Peterson, a starting corner with two years of Super Bowl experience in Bashaud Breeland, and additional solid performers like Mackensie Alexander and Xavier Woods.
When opposing teams put on the film next season to prepare for Minnesota’s defense, multiple evenings filled with nightmares leading up to the matchup will result.
Depth
Less than two weeks ago, Cameron Dantzler was penciled in by most to be one of the Vikings’ two starting corners next season. This might not be the case anymore after Minnesota recently signed Bashaud Breeland.
Dantzler and Breeland will be competing this summer for that other starting cornerback role next to Patrick Peterson and no matter who wins this battle, the Vikings will reap the benefits.
With the addition of Breeland, Minnesota guaranteed themselves that they will have at least one backup corner who possesses the ability to be an everyday starter.
The Vikings have something similar going on with their defensive line after Tuesday’s signing of Sheldon Richardson. In his return to Minnesota, Richardson is expecting to assume more of a rotational role as opposed to being in the starting lineup like he has for the majority of his career.
With guys like D.J. Wonnum, Harrison Hand, Armon Watts, Kris Boyd, Cameron Bynum, and Chazz Surratt, the Vikings’ depth on defense also features a bunch of young talent.
Minnesota should be able to continue performing at an elite level in 2021 whenever they need to turn to their backups for some help.
The Mastermind
Minnesota wouldn’t even have a chance to be an elite defense next season without Mike Zimmer leading the charge. Zimmer’s guidance and coaching has resulted in the Vikings becoming known for their defensive excellence since the head coach was hired in 2014.
Zimmer is really good at putting players in the best position to succeed. He’s not going to ask his players to do things that they’re not capable of.
At the same time, Zimmer also expects his guys on defense to be at their best each and every week. This philosophy has proved to be successful in the past and with all the new weapons Minnesota added on the defensive side of the ball this year, the team could potentially have their best defense ever under their current head coach.
Zimmer will be expecting the Vikings to rank among the top defenses in the NFL next season and with the potential of the unit being sky high, it’s hard to envision Minnesota’s defense not being among the best in the league in 2021.