Vikings Defense: Position by Position Grades and Breakdowns

Year two will be an important one for Mike Zimmer. He has laid the foundation of his vision for the Minnesota Vikings and the ‘first year coach’ honeymoon is over. The defensive improvements are obvious, but there are always holes to fill. Come August, there will be several new players hoping to make their mark in Zimmer’s scheme.

With that in mind, let’s go through every position and see where we can improve.

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Defensive End (B):

Though it tailed off a bit towards the end of the year,

and

were effective in getting to the quarterback. They combined for 16.5 sacks, 12 of which came from Griffen (9th in NFL). Robison had a tough time getting the QB to the ground, but was able to apply a lot of pressure.

battled a hip injury and wasn’t able to see action in his rookie year. I look forward to seeing his progress in camp. Other than deciding whether or not to resign

, there won’t be much change at DE this offseason.

Defensive Tackle (B-): One might look at the Vikings 25th ranked rush defense and say changes need to be made here. You have a case. But I actually liked what I saw from the defensive tackles, especially Sharrif Floyd and Tom Johnson. Those two alone combined for 11 sacks. Despite a nagging knee injury, Floyd improved leaps and bounds from his rookie year. Johnson had his best year as a pro and will be looking for a multi-year contract. Hopefully it’s with Minnesota. If not, they will have to bring in someone else.

I love having behemoth Linval Joseph inside. He and Shamar Stephen, who stood out in his rookie campaign, are capable of shutting down the inside run game. Competition is only going to make these guys better as they move forward under Zimmer.

Middle Linebacker (B-): Jasper Brinkley did a decent job at the all-important middle linebacker position, but his contract is up and he probably won’t be wearing purple next year. That leaves Audie Cole and Michael Mauti to compete for next season, both of whom played huge roles on special teams.

Because the Vikings LB core was decimated by injuries, Cole stepped in for Chad Greenway at OLB for the last game of the season. He was all over the place and finished with 14 tackles. That performance earned him a shot at the starting job.

Whether it’s via draft, trade or free agency, the Vikings will pick up a middle linebacker in the offseason.

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Outside Linebacker (B+):

was as advertised out of UCLA — a beast. His season was cut short by a knee injury, but what we saw was enough to pencil him in as a starter for next season. That brings us to Chad Greenway. He wants to stay here and we’d love to have him back, but it all comes down to money. He’s due $7,000,000 next season, which is a lot to pay a 31 year old with a ton of miles under his belt. I don’t see Greenway returning unless he renegotiates. If so, his mentorship and playing ability would be welcomed in 2015.

I liked what I saw from Gerald Hodges. He housed a pick-6 on the first play of the game against the Jets and made a case for more playing time towards the end of the season. The Vikings will probably bring in another OLB of some sort and there will be a nice competition for the other starting spot.

Safety (A): Not much more needs to be said for Harrison Smith, who had another excellent year totaling 5 interceptions and 3 sacks. He’s the perfect guy to continue building the backend of the defense around. Robert Blanton doesn’t say much or make a lot of huge plays, but he got the job done. He led the team in tackles (106). Blanton is only 25 and I like the chemistry he’s building with Smith, a former Notre Dame teammate. He’s cheap, too.

I’d imagine we will see these two start in 2015. However, there are good safeties to be had in the later rounds of the draft, so don’t be surprised if the Vikings scoop one up.

Cornerback (B+): Especially in comparison to 2013, it was a good year for the cornerback group. Led by the emergence of Xavier Rhodes as a shut down corner, the Vikings pass defense was 7th in the league. Josh Robinson was picked on here and there, but had somewhat of a breakout year himself. I want more consistency out of him next season.

Captain Munnerlyn said he had his worst year as a pro. I saw some positives in his game, but I’d be surprised if the team brings him back for that amount of money. Rookie Jabari Price showed some positive signs and might grow into a nice CB, we just don’t know yet.

That brings me to one unfortunate fact that needs to change immediately. Other than Xavier Rhodes, they’re all short.

With the way the NFL is headed, big corners are a must. For example, against the Bears in week 11, Robinson was usually in perfect position against Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, but they dominated him with size. Munnerlyn is 5′ 9″ and Robinson is 5′ 10″.

I hope Robinson sticks around, but the cornerback group needs to get bigger next season.

Summary: The Vikings defense will look pretty similar in 2015. They held 8 opponents to 20 points or less and there is no reason they should regress next season. Watch for changes at the linebacker and cornerback positions this offseason.

Dec 14, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback

(9) makes a pass over Minnesota Vikings defensive end Brian Robison (96) and defensive tackle Linval Joseph (98) during the second quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports