Minnesota made several solid moves to reinforce its defensive line for 2024 and into the future.

In succession last year, the Vikings added 2019 first-round pick Jerry Tillery on a one-year, prove-it deal, re-signed free agent Jonathan Bullard and extended Harrison Phillips through 2026 in early September.

Also, Minnesota welcomed to the fold three green defensive linemen, all under 26, in Jalen Redmond, Levi Drake Rodriguez and Taki Taimani – netting differing degrees of excitement (more on them below).

Bullard, Phillips and Tillery were active in shaping one of the NFL's stingiest run defenses as the Vikings were one of seven teams to permit fewer than 100 yards on the ground per game (93.4 avg.). Yes, there were lapses – they allowed 140-plus rushing yards four times, and twice against the Lions – but mostly the group governed the line and dictated run-game terms at Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores' behest.

It wasn't as polished of a product versus the pass. Specifically, the group failed to spawn much pressure.

A savvy workaround, one of Flores' favorite tactics, was sending blitzes on a league-high 38.9% of dropbacks – granted, that number was down from 51.5% in 2023. The defense's aggressiveness inspired 62 hurries (4th in the NFL), 69 knockdowns (tied for 3rd), 49 sacks (T-4th) and 180 pressures (T-2nd).

The issue is those stats were very rarely manufactured by Bullard, Phillips or Tillery. The trio, ultimately, manned ancillary roles in Minnesota's attacking scheme and therefore seldom made splashy-type plays.

Notable Numbers

4.0 – Sacks contributed by Minnesota's trench bullies. Phillips led the group with 2.0, while Bullard and Redmond each logged 1.0. You're not wrong to think that's not many – 32 interior defenders had 5.0 or more sacks this season, including Dolphins 38-year-old Calais Campbell and Rams rookie Braden Fiske.

Also, 4 – The number of balls that were batted by both Bullard and Phillips, which placed them in the top five at their position according to Pro Football Focus. The only d-linemen with more were Pittsburgh's Cameron Heyward (10), Philadelphia's Jalen Carter (7), Pittsburgh's Keeanu Benton (7) and Campbell (5). Redmond complemented Bull' and "H.P." with two deflections despite playing a fraction of their snaps.

75.6 – Speaking of Redmond, his overall defense grade on PFF was the 16^th best at his position out of players with 200-plus snaps and No. 2 on the Vikings under the same qualifier (Jonathan Greenard was first at 81.0). Redmond garnered a defense grade above 75.0 four times, topping out at 91.1 in Week 13.

6 – Seventh-round rookie Levi Drake Rodriguez's snap count. Rodriguez got his first lick of defense at Seattle (he made his career debut on special teams against Indianapolis). Small sample size, obviously, but he did some good things, including stuffing a run by Kenneth Walker III in solo form at the goal line.

(Note: Stats are through the Wild Card round of the NFL Playoffs if mentioned as courtesy PFF.)

The Highest High

Redmond nearly swayed us with four tackles for loss over the first half of Minnesota's four-game December homestand; his breakout was particularly fun because of his atypical path to the Vikings.

Actually, though, let's rewind a game further, to the finale of Minnesota's mid-to-late November road venture, zeroing in on a play in the second quarter of the team's 30-27 win in overtime at Soldier Field.

With both sides knotted at 7-all and nine minutes and change left in the first half, Tillery thrust one of his big paws into the air and blocked a Cairo Santos field goal attempt. The ball ricocheted on a rope into the palms of teammate Brian Asamoah II, who channeled his inner-running back and raced to the Vikings 47.

Maybe, it felt like an innocuous takeaway in the moment. Matter of fact, it was transformative.

Six plays later, Sam Darnold hit Jalen Nailor for a touchdown and 14-7 lead, zapping the Bears of belief. The rest of the afternoon, Chicago chased points – and the three that Tillery blocked was the difference.

The Lowest Low

The Week 18 letdown, a fight with Detroit for the division and NFC's top seed, can't be pinned on a single group. But it was poor timing for the frontliners of Minnesota's defense to struggle.

At the 1:49 mark of the first quarter, Detroit snapped Minnesota's bend-but-rarely-break defense, as Jahmyr Gibbs split an atom – er, a crease – pranced past the second level and sprinted free for six points.

The 25-yard touchdown was the first of three rushing scores by the Lions – the Vikings allowed nine other touchdowns on the ground across 16 games – and was accompanied by TD trots from 13 and 4.

Minnesota's d-line gets partial blame, obviously, for wavering and allowing a season-worst 178 rushing yards on 31 attempts (5.7 avg.) in the highest-stakes regular season game in franchise and league history.

2 Pressing Questions for 2025

1. Can Minnesota fast-track a young core of Redmond, Rodriguez and Taimani?

Some wagons are just easier to hop on.

We felt that way when Minnesota's young d-line trio each made the 53-man roster out of training camp. Redmond (of UFL fame), Rodriguez (pick No. 232 out of tiny Texas A&M-Commerce) and Taimani (UDFA signing) overcame narratives that can be kisses of death for players battling for scarce roster spots.

Yet, they beat the odds and contributed at varying levels: Redmond transitioned from scout-teamer to bona fide run-wrecker, using impressive BGO (ball get-off) to tally 18 tackles and six for losses, which was good for seventh most on the defense; Rodriguez made strides on the "look squad" all year, and Taimani got off to a steadily strong start as an early-down gap-plugger before an ankle injury derailed his season.

One fair assumption is Minnesota gleaned enough from each player to be confident about their futures.

Another is the Vikings must help along big developmental leaps from each if they're going to be staples in the 2025 lineup and beyond. This is where Phillips' value bleeds into mentorship and sharpening skills.

2. Who will emerge as a daunting middle-of-the-defense pass rusher?

In case you weren't aware, veteran outside linebacker and first-year Viking Jihad Ward, who moved around in special packages, was the leader in quarterback pressures from the interior, generating 31 per PFF; Tillery was next in that area with 17, then Phillips with 16, and Bullard was responsible for six.

It makes us think Minnesota may be interested in beefing up its pass-rush productivity between the tackles.

Obviously, it's simple to dream up but difficult to pull off, as there's only a select few players sculpted in the mold of every-down difference-maker, able to antagonize passing attacks and deny rushing attempts.

Free agency and the NFL Draft are two places the Vikings could search for supplementation.

The list of defensive linemen eligible for free agency includes veterans such as (in order of highest 2024 salary to lowest) Javon Hargrave, B.J. Hill, Javon Kinlaw, Folorunso Fatukasi and Sebastian Joseph-Day.

There's younger options, as well, who may qualify for increased pay based on performance: Osa Odighizuwa (27 years old) produced 60 pressures, fifth most among IDL; Levi Onwuzurike (27) logged 47, and Milton Williams (26) registered 46. They starred in strong systems – Dallas, Detroit and Philadelphia.

If the Vikings opt against bringing in a powerful punch in free agency, they'll depend on the draft, which tends to be a crapshoot. A few highly regarded DL prospects are Michigan's Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, and Ohio State's Tyleik Williams. On PFF's NFL Draft big board, they're ranked Nos. 4, 19 and 26.

As a reminder, the Vikings presently hold the No. 24 selection plus two fifth-round choices.