Backup Vikings Defender Has Been “Literally Everywhere Every Day”

NFL: Los Angeles Chargers at Minnesota Vikings
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Theo Jackson has some talent ahead of him on the depth chart, but he’s playing so well that it may not matter too much. The backup Vikings defender may force his way onto the field.

Jackson was the subject of a recent tweet from The Athletic‘s Alec Lewis, who was responding to an interview lineup that he was participating in. Apparently, Lewis was going to hit the mic prior to the safety, prompting a certain response: “For the record, it’s an honor to precede Theo Jackson here. Nobody has had a better camp than this dude. He’s literally everywhere every day.”

Backup Vikings Defender Theo Jackson Has Been Impressing

Lewis isn’t the only one to send praise in Jackson’s direction.

“There’s been an incredible amount of growth,” defensive coordinator Brian Flores said when asked about Theo Jackson not too long ago, “an incredible amount of just improvement. That’s probably the best term to use for him, improvement.”

Vikings
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Flores didn’t stop there: “Anyone who watches Theo work, from a meeting standpoint, from a training standpoint, from just an understanding of concepts and a knowledge of the game, I think he’s starting to put a lot of things together. And he’s growing in confidence, which that comes with preparation and he prepares the right way. And it’s showing up on the field.”

The DC has been impressed; so, too, has the Vikings.com’s Craig Peters.

In late July, Peters described an interception from Jackson: “He quickly drove on a pass that was thrown late over the middle the field by J.J. McCarthy. It was an impressive pick by the player who recorded Minnesota’s first interception of the 2023 season last year at Philadelphia.”

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Originally, Theo Jackson was a Titan. The man was drafted in the 6th Round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 204th overall. A modest draft slot, to be sure. The safety got tossed onto the practice squad and that’s where Minnesota found him.

Across 2022 and 2023, Jackson has played in 26 games but has yet to snag a start. He did, however, play in 126 defensive snaps last season while soaking up 260 snaps for Matt Daniels. Clearly, Jackson has earned the trust of the special teams coordinator and is increasingly earning the trust from the defensive coordinator.

The top trio at safety are Harrison Smith, Camryn Bynum, and Josh Metellus. Seemingly the only thing that will be able to unsettle that top trio is injury, an outcome everyone is looking to avoid. One does wonder, though, if Jackson gets onto the field more, perhaps at the expense of a corner. Or, maybe, there could be a reduced workload for Smith since he’s getting older.

Make First Free
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The broader takeaway is simply that Jackson has been putting in some excellent work. He has good size at 6’1″, 198 and will only turn 26 on October 2nd. Last season, he had 21 tackles, an interception, and a QB hit.

He’ll carry a $985,000 cap charge into the season, an absolute bargain.

Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.


K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.