Vikings Add Daronte Jones, Mike Smith, Ben Kotwica to Coaching Staff
The Vikings have officially announced the addition of five more coaches to Kevin O'Connell's staff, including three new names.
Wes Phillips has been confirmed as the team's offensive coordinator. Matt Daniels has been confirmed as the special teams coordinator. The three new names are Daronte Jones (defensive backs), Mike Smith (outside linebackers/pass rush specialist), and Ben Kotwica (assistant special teams).
Here's what you need to know about all three.
Daronte Jones, defensive backs coach
If this name sounds familiar, there's a reason for that. Jones was the Vikings' DBs coach in 2020, then left to become LSU's defensive coordinator last year. Now he's back in Minnesota, replacing Karl Scott, who landed with the Seahawks.
Prior to his first stint with the Vikings, Jones was the Bengals' cornerbacks coach and the Dolphins' assistant DBs coach. He spent 15 years before that working his way up the coaching ranks at the high school, college, and CFL levels.
Jones' role will be an important one in 2022. The Vikings need to get more consistency out of third-year corner Cameron Dantzler, who Jones worked with as a rookie, and will likely add another draft pick or two at the position. They also may have a new starting safety next to Harrison Smith, with Xavier Woods hitting free agency and Camryn Bynum looking like a potentially viable replacement.
Mike Smith, outside linebackers coach/pass rush specialist
Smith is a big get for the Vikings. He's done a good job as the Packers' OLBs coach for the past three seasons, working with players like Za'Darius Smith, Preston Smith, and Rashan Gary.
Mike Smith will once again be working with Mike Pettine, the Vikings' assistant head coach. Pettine was the Jets' defensive coordinator when Smith got started in the NFL as a coaching intern and OLBs coach, and the two worked together with the Packers in 2019 and '20 when Pettine was the Green Bay DC.
Smith, who was a Ravens linebacker in the late 2000s, had stops at Texas Tech and the Chiefs in between his Jets and Packers tenures. He'll help new Vikings DC Ed Donatell transition the team to a 3-4 defense.
Ben Kotwica, assistant special teams coach
Interestingly, the Vikings are adding an assistant special teams coach with significantly more experience than their new coordinator has.
Daniels has been an assistant ST coach for four years and will be a first-time coordinator in 2022. Kotwica, his new top assistant, has eight years of coordinator experience.
Kotwica worked his way up with the Jets, becoming their STC in 2013. He then spent five years as the STC in Washington, overlapping with O'Connell for a couple years. Kotwica was the Falcons' STC in 2019 and '20 and was away from the NFL last season as the United States Military Academy's director of player development.
Here's what O'Connell's nearly-completed coaching staff looks like.
- Head coach: Kevin O'Connell
- Assistant head coach: Mike Pettine
- Offensive coordinator: Wes Phillips
- Quarterbacks: Chris O'Hara
- Assistant quarterbacks: Jerrod Johnson
- Running backs/run game coordinator: Curtis Modkins
- Wide receivers: Keenan McCardell
- Tight ends/passing game coordinator: Brian Angelichio
- Offensive line: Chris Kuper
- Assistant offensive line: Justin Rascati
- Defensive coordinator: Ed Donatell
- Defensive line: Chris Rumph
- Outside linebackers: Mike Smith
- Defensive backs: Daronte Jones
- Special teams coordinator: Matt Daniels
- Assistant special teams: Ben Kotwica
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