Sometimes, fantasy football and Madden culture can warp our view of what constitutes a good football player. People use yards and touchdowns to measure quarterbacks and skill players. Meanwhile, defensive backs only get SportsCenter highlights if they make an interception.
Sacks are the easiest way for fans to compare defensive linemen. Most fans are watching the ball during a game. They only notice an offensive lineman if they commit a penalty or allow a sack. Unless a defensive lineman’s last name is Aaron Donald, T.J. Watt, or Joey Bosa, they may only stand out when they make a tackle for a loss or sack the quarterback.
The Minnesota Vikings signed edge rushers Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel this offseason, and they have wreaked havoc on opposing quarterbacks. The pair has combined for 19 sacks and four forced fumbles, and Van Ginkel has two pick-sixes.
However, the interior defensive line hasn’t brought the same highlight plays, leading some to believe Minnesota’s front office has ignored the position.
It’s hard to blame them. Longtime fans saw Alan Page win NFL MVP in 1971 as a defensive tackle. Keith Millard had 53 sacks in six years with the Vikings in the ‘80s. John Randle terrorized quarterbacks for 114 sacks over 11 seasons in Minnesota. Newer fans saw Kevin Williams get named to six Pro Bowls in seven seasons, picking up 60 sacks during his 11 years in Minnesota.
This year, the Vikings don’t have a game-wrecking defensive tackle who shows up on SportsCenter. Their group has a combined three sacks on the season. That isn’t just among starters, it also includes backups.
Despite lacking gaudy statistics, Minnesota’s defensive line is the foundation of one of the league’s best defenses. No one is allowing fewer rushing yards per game (81.3). The Vikings’ run defense is also the best in expected points allowed (EPA) per rush at minus-0.23.
Stopping the run on early downs has led to longer down-and-distances for offenses. That helps players like Greenard and Van Ginkel get after the quarterback while Minnesota’s veteran secondary can focus on the pass. The Vikings are allowing opponents to convert 34.8% of third downs, the 10th-best mark in the league.
Harrison Phillips headlines the interior defensive line. The former Buffalo Bills nose tackle was one of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s first free-agent acquisitions in 2022. Although he hasn’t been in Minnesota long, his teammates named him one of eight captains before the season.
“There’s certain guys that gotta play at a certain level for the group to play up to its potential,” said Brian Flores, explaining how Byron Murphy benefits from defensive line play. “Van Ginkel was also one of them, Cashman, J.G., kind of that group of guys who were playing a significant amount of snaps.
“Harrison Phillips in his role, Jonathan Bullard in his role.”
Among interior linemen with at least 147 snaps (20% of 735 potential snaps), PFF (Pro Football Focus) ranks Phillips 25th in run defense, giving him a 65.3 grade. He has two of the interior line’s three sacks, and his 15 “stops” (plays that PFF constitutes as offensive failures) rank ninth on the team.
However, despite being the leader and most notable of the interior linemen in Minnesota, he may not even be the group’s best run defender this year. Bullard, a ninth-year player who joined the Vikings in 2022, has had his best season yet in Minnesota. According to PFF, Bullard has the ninth-best run defense grade among qualified interior linemen, with a 74.4 grade. His 18 stops are tied for 30th amongst the other linemen.
Sixth-year defensive lineman Jerry Tillery is on the other side of Phillips. While playing with the Los Angeles Chargers, he never lived up to his status as the 28th-overall pick in the 2019 draft. Still, he has played unselfish football for the Vikings this season. Brought in as one of Adofo-Mensah’s former first-round redemption projects, Tillery has played in every game this season, making 10 starts. Tillery’s 59.6 run defense grade sits just below PFF’s average grade of 60, and the mark is tied for 46th among interior linemen.
But just because these players don’t have lofty sack numbers doesn’t mean they haven’t impacted the passing game. According to PFF, Phillips and Bullard each have three batted passes, tied for sixth among all interior defensive linemen. None stood out more than an early batted pass by Phillips that landed in linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill’s hands on the first drive of their game against the Houston Texans. That ignited the crowd and helped spark a 34-7 beatdown.
Even backup Jalen Redmond has begun to make his impact felt. Redmond was with the Carolina Panthers during training camp as a rookie in 2023. After Carolina waived him, he joined the XFL’s Arlington Renegades. He produced enough to stand out to Vikings scouts and made the team after a strong preseason.
“When we first got him, the athleticism jumped out immediately,” said Flores. “He’s got quickness, he’s got range as far as some guys are tackle to tackle. I mean, this guy can run. You saw that on Sunday, he can run.”
After last week’s win over the Arizona Cardinals, Kevin O’Connell gave Redmond one of three game balls. Despite playing only 15 snaps, Redmond registered two stops in the run game and produced one hurry on Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray. PFF gave Redmond a 91.1 grade, the highest among all Vikings defenders.
These four players’ impact is still felt in the passing game, even if they aren’t always on the field. Linebacker Jihad Ward is used all along the line in passing situations. When Minnesota’s defense forces opposing offenses to pass, Ward lines up primarily on the line’s interior, using his speed and power to disrupt passers. He has 22 total pressures, and his 269 pass rush snaps only trail Phillips (273) among players lined up along the line’s interior.
Even Ward’s impact shows selflessness. If we count him as an interior lineman, he only adds one sack to the group’s total. But his ability to force passers out of the pocket and into throwaways or sacks by other defenders shows that he also encapsulates the attitude and mindset of the group.
That isn’t to say that the Vikings won’t be looking for a more traditional, consistent pass rusher at defensive tackle this offseason. Over the past several years, salary cap restrictions have hindered the team’s ability to acquire game-changers at every position. And because these players aren’t breaking the bank, most, if not all, of them could return in 2025 to serve crucial backup roles even if the team adds players with more pass-rushing prowess.
In the meantime, Minnesota has acquired players who, as a whole, have helped the defense take another step in Year 2 under Brian Flores and can contribute to a deep run in the playoffs.