Vikings secondary rated among worst in NFL

It’s no secret that the Minnesota Vikings struggled against the pass last season. So it’s not surprising that, without any major offseason changes, the club’s secondary isn’t ranked very highly.

Pro Football Focus on Tuesday put the Vikings secondary at 27th in the NFL and last in the NFC North.

“Defensive coordinator Brian Flores introduced an exotic defense in 2023, and it came with mixed results,” PFF wrote in its rankings. “Safety Camryn Bynum was the top-graded player in the secondary (73.2), while Harrison Smith’s 68.9 grade was the fourth-best on the team. Here, you get solid but not great players in the secondary, but no superstar players are taking this unit to higher levels.”

The Vikings did add Shaquill Griffin, who was PFF’s 53rd-ranked corner last season, and are hoping he can lock down one outside spot so Byron Murphy Jr. can play in the slot. Mekhi Blackmon graded out as PFF’s 32nd-best cornerback in his rookie season and figures to be the frontrunner for the other starting outside job but a sophomore slump or injury could again leave the team in a precarious position.

Akayleb Evans and Andrew Booth Jr. have had troubles staying healthy and with consistency, and Khyree Jackson and Dwight McGlothern could earn playing time but can’t be expected to play a significant role as rookies. The Vikings have plenty of solid safeties, and maybe Theo Jackson and Jay Ward get more of an opportunity in exotic looks this season but, again, how much can that help the secondary?

Realistically, the Vikings best path to improving upon last year’s defensive performance, when the team finished eighth against the run but 24th against the pass, is to increase the pressure on opposing quarterbacks to help the secondary.

Flores did a solid job of that in 2023 but teams started finding other ways to attack the Vikings later in the season. If the improved linebacker corps as well as new edge rushers Jonathan Greenard and Dallas Turner can offer any improvement, Minnesota’s defense should at least be solid and be able to match last year’s group, which finished 16th in total defense.

Nov 12, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. (7) celebrates his interception with safety Camryn Bynum (24) against the New Orleans Saints in the fourth quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports