Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Knows the Vikings Need More Depth on Defense
On the whole, the Vikings' defense took a major step forward in the first season of Brian Flores' tenure, jumping from 24th to 11th in DVOA despite arguably weaker personnel than they had the year prior. Flores' unique scheme and approach helped maximize his players and built a foundation for the future.
But it was a strange year for the Vikings on that side of the ball. They started slowly against a tough schedule, hit their stride for a couple months in the heart of the season, and then fell off again down the stretch. For the season, the Vikings ranked 17th in opponent EPA per play. They were 26th in Weeks 1-3, first among all teams from Weeks 4-14, and then 31st from Weeks 15-18.
The peak stretch was from Week 6 to Week 14, where they were first in opponent EPA per play by a wide margin and allowed just 15 points per game (including a shutout against the Raiders). Rock bottom came when the Vikings allowed as many points (120) over the final four games as they had allowed over the previous eight. With players like Jordan Hicks, D.J. Wonnum, and Byron Murphy Jr. missing time down the stretch, the Vikings fell out of the playoff race.
"Early in the season, we were figuring out who we were, what was our identity," GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said at the combine last week. "We had a new coordinator who I think did an incredible job. Middle of the year, we played some really good football — without Marcus Davenport, who was unfortunately injured. We found a way to play. But as you get later in the season, teams find a way to adjust and evolve and adapt. Eventually, we just ran out of depth. We had those injuries that at some point, just started to take their toll, and we didn't have enough to overcome it."
This is a big offseason for the Vikings' front office for numerous reasons, but one of the main focuses has to be adding numerous pieces to Flores' defense. They clearly have the right coach in place, but he needs more to work with. The Vikings could theoretically lose Danielle Hunter, Harrison Smith, Hicks, and Wonnum this year, so they need reinforcements in a bad way.
And while they need high-end talent to complement the pieces they already possess, they also need more depth to survive the inevitable injuries that will take place. Adofo-Mensah knows that.
"At the end of the day, injuries happen in this sport, and it's my job to build the two-deep, the special teams, the player development, all these different things to overcome the adversity that can happen in a season," he said. "We didn't do that (last year). And that's something we'll keep working towards."
Expect the Vikings to be busy reloading their defense in both free agency and the draft over the next couple months.
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