Based on the uniqueness of Brian Flores' defensive scheme, and how he deploys players and skill sets, the Minnesota Vikings have three safeties on the field a good portion of the time.
On that note, Josh Metellus, Harrison Smith, Theo Jackson, and Jay Ward all started at least five games last season, and the first three all played over 500 snaps.
One of the big current questions around the Vikings is whether Smith will return to play a 15th season.
The sentiment can go either direction depending on the day or who's saying something about it. He also technically isn't on the roster right now, as the team gives him all the time he needs to make a decision.
Despite Minnesota head coach Kevin O'Connell consistently saying he doesn't know what Smith is doing, logic says the team has a good idea one way or the other.
With the future after Smith in mind, the Vikings took safety Jakobe Thomas in the third round of the draft. How much he plays as a rookie is very tied to Smith's decision, with only so many snaps to go around even if Smith plays a little less in what might be his final season.
Surprising cut candidate for Minnesota Vikings may end up not being a surprise at all
Moe Moton of Bleacher Report recently named the best player who could still be cut by each NFL team this offseason. It's not necessarily shocking he chose a safety for the Vikings, given the position battle that's looming, but the one he picked might be surprising to some people.
"Last season, Theo Jackson moved up on the Minnesota Vikings' safety depth chart, playing 60 percent of the team's defensive snaps.
After a step forward in his development, Jackson may be less productive as the Vikings' No. 3 safety. He could lose his roster spot if rookie third-rounder Jakobe Thomas shows promising signs in the next phases of the Vikings' offseason program."
After being drafted by the Tennessee Titans in 2022 and being let go by them in late August that year, Jackson was picked up by the Vikings and was a core special teamer over his first three years in the league.
Cam Bynum's exit in 2025 free agency brought the next step in his progression last season, which equated to 530 defensive snaps and eight starts in the 14 games he played.
However, Jackson was benched in favor of Jay Ward late last season. While both started a meaningless Week 18 game, Ward played 128 defensive snaps to Jackson's 81 over the last three games.
If Ward had played enough snaps to qualify, he would have been a top-30 graded safety in the league by Pro Football Focus, and he had stronger marks than Jackson as both a run defender and in coverage.
While Thomas is a notable addition to the Vikings' safety depth chart and a threat to others' playing time/role, Smith's decision also looms over the 2026 prospects of Ward and Jackson.
Keeping five safeties on the 53-man roster might be difficult to pull off, with Metellus, Smith, and Thomas as the locks if Smith decides to play.
Then, after some apparent effort to find out if it was the case as last season wound down, an argument can be made that Ward is a better player than Jackson.
No matter what, Jackson has a battle on his hands to earn a roster spot between now and cutdown day. If things go a certain way, he could fall to the wrong side of the roster bubble very quickly.
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