Harrison Phillips, defensive line
The defense was a sore spot for the Minnesota Vikings last season and changing to a 3-4 front should help. Of course, what would help even more is having the right personnel to execute that style of defense.
Minnesota brought in Harrison Phillips to anchor down the defensive line on a three-year deal worth $19.5 million. The hope is that he can be one of the big bodies up front to redirect opposing offenses and slow down their attacks.
One of the tough parts of being a defensive tackle is that your success doesn’t always show up on the stat sheet. Despite that, Phillips had 51 tackles in 14 games played last season with four of those takedowns being behind the line of scrimmage.
At only 26 years old, there is a chance the Vikings have found a long-term answer to their struggles up front. Minnesota will need to win the battle in the trenches to have a good chance at winning games, and Phillips could be the right man for the job.