Vikings new coaching staff very close to being complete

The Minnesota Vikings added five more assistants to their 2022 coaching staff on Monday, including Wes Phillips, who will be the team’s new offensive coordinator.

After formally introducing Kevin O’Connell as their new head coach last week, the Minnesota Vikings have been hard work as they build their coaching staff for the 2022 season.

On Monday, the Vikings announced that the team has officially hired Wes Phillips to be the team’s new offensive coordinator in addition to hiring Matt Daniels as their new special teams coordinator, Daronte Jones as their defensive backs coach, Ben Kotwica as their assistant special teams coach, and Mike Smith as their outside linebackers/pass rush specialist coach.

15 assistant coaches have been hired by Minnesota since O’Connell was introduced as the team’s head coach last week. With Monday’s hirings, it feels like the Vikings are very close to having their 2022 coaching staff set and ready to go.

What will Wes Phillips add to the Minnesota Vikings as their new offensive coordinator?

After spending the last three years as the tight ends coach and pass game coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams, Phillips is following O’Connell to Minnesota to see if the two of them can duplicate the same offensive success they were able to have during their time with the Rams.

Phillips has been an assistant coach in the NFL since 2007, when he was a quality control/offensive assistant for the Dallas Cowboys. He remained on the Cowboys’ coaching staff until 2014, when he became the tight ends coach for the Washington Commanders.

In Washington is where Phillips and O’Connell first crossed paths as both were members of the team’s coaching staff in 2017 and 2018.

Given Phillips’ extensive experience as a tight ends coach in the NFL (nine years), it will be interesting to see what sort of impact he can have on the performance of Vikings tight end Irv Smith Jr. during the 2022 season.

And yes, if his name sounds familiar, it’s because Phillips is the son of former NFL head coach Wade Phillips and the grandson of former NFL head coach Bum Phillips.