Vikings DC Brian Flores has a secret weapon to counter the newest NFL trend
One of the biggest question marks could end up being a secret weapon against the 13 personnel trend sweeping the NFL.
Over the past few months, I’ve been very critical about the Minnesota Vikings‘ approach at edge rusher.
Dallas Turner and Andrew Van Ginkel are very good players, but without Jonathan Greenard, the Vikings didn’t replace Turner as their third edge rusher. They didn’t take one in the NFL Draft, and while you can talk about Jake Golday all you want, they are playing him at off-ball linebacker and having him learn different roles because Brian Flores loves versatility. That doesn’t mean Golday is going to be an edge rusher or a long-term piece at that position, especially with how linebackers will line up at a wide-9.
Even so, in 2026, Minnesota needs to figure out what it’s going to do at edge rusher depth, because if either Turner or Van Ginkel goes down, it could end up being catastrophic for this defense.
Right now, the Vikings have Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins projected to be their edge 3. Are we sure that’s good enough? I’m going to be honest: I’m not. But I’m starting to come around for one main reason.
What training camp is showing about Ingram-Dawkins
When you watch Ingram-Dawkins in practice and how the coaching staff is using him, he looks slimmed down. He appears to be about 280 pounds of jacked-up muscle with very little fat or extra weight. You can see the power.
What’s fascinating about Ingram-Dawkins is that he’s much more of an interior rusher, a linear mover rather than a lateral one. He’s not going to go 45 degrees on a plane and bend the arc around offensive tackles like a Von Miller type. Instead, Ingram-Dawkins can beat interior linemen with his speed and power combination because he is lightning quick moving in a linear fashion.
The problem is that this defense asks its edge rushers to do a decent amount of bending. Van Ginkel can. Turner can. Greenard could as well. They have enough ankle flexion to get around the offensive tackle, and that opens up the inside game, the power game, and everything else. Ingram-Dawkins doesn’t have all of those tools, and that is a genuine concern.
If he has to be a starter, I’m scared. But if he’s going to be a sub-package player, I’m starting to see the vision over my last few days at training camp.
The power game is real
There were a couple of run plays during practice where Ingram-Dawkins was just in the backfield wrecking things. He lined up standing at a 7 technique, just outside the offensive tackle over the tight end. His power game is going to be too much for tight ends. He steamrolled Josh Oliver on a toss play during a practice last week and made an immediate impact in the backfield.
That kind of power on the outside is rare, and it could be a game-changer with the wave of 13 personnel hitting today’s game. Most tight ends can handle a 260 pound edge rusher, but not one with the power of a defensive tack.e
Think of a discount version of Greenard, who could also set an edge and bulldoze through you. Greenard could do a lot of the arc stuff and get around offensive linemen too, which Ingram-Dawkins can’t. His length isn’t quite as good as Greenard’s, but it is solid, and he can do a good job of getting into blockers and moving them.
How Brian Flores can maximize his skill set
Flores likes to have defenders lined up all across the line of scrimmage, sometimes going seven or eight deep with three guys back. Nobody knows who’s coming. With how much the Vikings like to stunt and crash, Ingram-Dawkins can be the crasher while a looper like Van Ginkel, Turner, Eric Wilson, Golday, or Blake Cashman loops around into a more advantageous position to pressure the quarterback.
The best way to utilize him might be in a base 4-3-under look where Ingram-Dawkins lines up over the tackle at a 5 technique, similar to how Danielle Hunter played in the Mike Zimmer defenses. Turner and Van Ginkel play their wide 9 or 7 technique on the other side, and you rotate your linebackers. That can work because a 4-3-under front allows you to maneuver and take advantage of different situations.
Ingram-Dawkins’ versatility to kick inside and play a traditional 3 technique allows Flores to deploy a 3-3-5 look on pass-rush downs: one defensive lineman (potentially Ingram-Dawkins), two outside linebackers, and three off-ball guys. Imagine Golday, Wilson, and Cashman all on the field at the same time, where you can send all of them on blitzes or drop all of them into coverage.
The Vikings still need a traditional edge rusher
With all of that said, I do think Minnesota still needs to address the traditional edge rusher position. I kept banging the table for a veteran pass rusher, and it didn’t happen. Different things need to occur for the Vikings to elevate and take the next step. But if the coaching staff uses Ingram-Dawkins the right way, there is a path forward for him to maximize what that edge rusher position can be for this Minnesota Vikings defense.
