2 Players Who Could Benefit from Brian Flores’ Arrival
Ted Schwerzler
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The Minnesota Vikings certainly needed to find a fix for their 2022 defense. Ed Donatell’s unit was beyond terrible, and bringing in a new defensive coordinator was the start of an overhaul. Now that Brian Flores has been tabbed to lead the unit, a few players could benefit more than others.
Brian Flores comes to the Minnesota Vikings as part of Bill Belichick’s coaching tree. He spent last season working with Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh and successfully helped turn the tide for a Miami Dolphins franchise that wasn’t exactly interested in that result. During this coaching cycle, his name was among the most desirable as a coordinator and a head coach.
2 Players Who Could Benefit from Brian Flores’ Arrival
Although the Vikings will see plenty of turnover this offseason, partly due to free agency departures and cap casualties, Flores will be able to mold what is left. He will work alongside general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell when it comes to rounding out the group, but there are at least two names that jump off the page as benefactors from his arrival.
First and foremost, there is 2022 NFL Draft pick Brian Asamoah. He was taken in the 3rd round out of Oklahoma and immediately looked the part of an exciting physical specimen. He didn’t find his way into the starting lineup at all last season and routinely watched veterans Jordan Hicks and Eric Kendricks hold down the fort. With both potentially being left off of the 2023 roster, Asamoah’s opportunity grows immensely.
As a coach, Flores showed a substantial desire to blitz. He showed an affinity for pressuring the quarterback. He also showed no fear of man coverage. Each of these areas can benefit a linebacker like Asamoah. No matter what type of scheme the Vikings run in 2023, Asamoah’s speed and closing ability should have him in the lineup often. He can be penciled in as an immediate starter, and there is no reason why he can’t generate the first sack of his career. It’s also more than clear he’s excited about the hire.
Just ahead of Asamoah is another asset the Vikings will be looking to unlock. Danielle Hunter has contributed substantially for quite some time, but Flores could utilize his rushing abilities much more than we saw a season ago. Despite pairing Hunter with Za’Darius Smith, the two never really both clicked at the same time. Some of that was due to injury or ineffectiveness, but Flores unlocking a pass-rushing duo would be a big boost to the defense.
Hunter recorded 10.5 sacks last season, the most he has had since totaling 14.5 in back-to-back seasons for 2018 and 2019. As he ages, it’s probably unlikely that Hunter can continue contributing at the same high level, but a clean bill of health last year showed us he still has plenty to offer on the field. Flores finding ways to put him in a position for pressure on the opposition would benefit Minnesota’s secondary in a big way.
Much of what Flores brings to the table in year one for the Vikings will be how much he can extract from a unit of leftovers. Obviously, the defense was terrible last season, but there are usable parts. It will be on the new coach to find out what those are and push everyone to contribute even more.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes weekly for Twins Daily. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
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