Vikings Hire Greg Manusky as Inside Linebackers Coach For Ed Donatell's Defensive Staff

Manusky played in the NFL for 12 years and has been a defensive coordinator for four teams.

The Vikings are hiring Greg Manusky to be their inside linebackers coach, according to Pro Football Network's Aaron Wilson.

This is a strong hire to fill out the last open position coach role on Kevin O'Connell's staff. Manusky has 12 years of experience as a NFL defensive coordinator for four different teams, and he'll bring a lot of expertise as a longtime coach and former player to this role.

Manusky is also a former Viking, which is always neat. After going undrafted in 1988 out of Colgate and spending three seasons with Washington, he played for the Vikings from 1991-93 under Jerry Burns and Dennis Green. Manusky would go on to spend another six seasons playing for the Chiefs after that. He was primarily a special teams ace, starting just 21 of the 178 games he appeared in during his NFL career.

When his playing days ended, Manusky got started in coaching as a linebackers coach for Washington and the Chargers. He then was the 49ers' DC from 2007-10, the Chargers' DC in 2011, and the Colts' DC from 2012-15. After returning to Washington to coach outside linebackers in 2016, Manusky was their DC from 2017-19. He overlapped with O'Connell during those three seasons, which explains this hire.

Manusky has spent the last two years as a defensive assistant at the University of Kentucky.

In Minnesota, he'll work closely with DC Ed Donatell, assistant head coach Mike Pettine, and fellow position coaches Mike Smith (OLBs), Chris Rumph (DL), and Daronte Jones (DBs).

Manusky will be coaching Eric Kendricks as one of his middle linebackers, but it remains to be seen who else will be in the mix for playing time. Anthony Barr and Nick Vigil are both free agents, and young players like Blake Lynch, Troy Dye, and Chazz Surratt are still developing. The Vikings will presumably look to add a linebacker or two in free agency and the draft this year.

Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Vikings news and analysis all offseason long. Also, follow me on Twitter and feel free to ask me any questions on there.