Establish the Defense

As previously mentioned, this Minnesota Vikings squad has a tall task ahead of them: they have to essentially replace their 5th-ranked scoring defense from top to bottom.

One notable departure from this unit is cornerback Xavier Rhodes who, at one point, looked like the league’s next shutdown corner. Unfortunately, his career didn’t end up panning out the way he and others had expected. This will likely end up being a good move for him and the Vikings, as the corner is past his prime and needed a new situation to refresh his career.

The Vikings will bring in a few free agents, notably including Michael Pierce to fill the gap left by run-stopper Linval Joseph. While Joseph had some great years with Minnesota, he was approaching his mid 30s and his level of play was reflecting that age. This will be an upgrade as Zimmer and the Vikings will get a shot in the arm and a rejuvenation at this position.

The biggest move that Minnesota has made in this offseason is with existing safety Anthony Harris. The Vikings gave the safety his $11.5 million franchise tag, committing a large chunk of their remaining salary cap to him. He should give some stability to a unit with very little returning talent.

The Vikings defense will likely take a step back, but if this unit can establish themselves as a top-10 unit again in 2020, they’ll have a chance to content for an NFC North title and look to make a playoff run.