Minnesota Vikings appear to be making fascinating change on defense, and it could solve a major issue
The majority of the focus was on the quarterback competition between J.J. McCarthy and Kyler Murray, but don’t sleep on this change.
The first media session of Minnesota Vikings OTAs was on Wednesday and we heard from J.J. McCarthy and Kyler Murray. It was the first time that Murray spoke to the Vikings beat in person after signing with the team in March.
Those interviews gave us a lot of fascinating context from a multitude of angles, with McCarthy coming across in a not-so-good light and Murray looked like a trained professional. It’s the dominant aspect of the conversation, but it wasn’t the only story from the first session.
Minnesota Vikings defender appears to be making a position change
One spot where the Vikings have a problem moving forward is at edge rusher. Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner are great players who project to be plus-level starters, but the depth behind them isn’t great. However, it appears the Vikings are making an interesting change on the roster to maximize their depth at edge rusher.
The Vikings selected Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins in the fifth-round from the Georgia Bulldogs in 2025. He was announced as a defensive tackle, but was relatively undersized at 275 pounds. From the first practice open to the media, Ingram-Dawkins looked significantly slimmer and was working with the edge group.
The idea to move Ingram-Dawkins out to edge rusher is a fascinating one. He was an undersized player for the interior, but had the requisite quickness to win against guards. It’s an interesting idea to move the 6-5 defender out to the edge, but it tracks with how the Vikings have been adding a lot of size on the interior.
Doing this is certainly worth trying, especially with it being defensive coordinator Brian Flores‘ decision, but there are some concerns with making it work. Ingram-Dawkins is an explosive athlete, but only linear. He isn’t a great lateral mover, and is tight-hipped, making bending the arc around the edge a little more difficult. Being that he appears to be moving out to the edge, it’s a major concern.
This also could be a sign that the Vikings don’t love what they have seen from Ingram-Dawkins, and he could firmly be on the roster bubble. It’s something to keep in the back of your mind throughout the entirety of the offseason.
If this works, the Vikings will have maneuvered well and prevented another high priced signing.
