Vikings Add Another Member to Their Coaching Staff
A couple days ago, the Minnesota Vikings saw their first coaching loss of the offseason.
Offensive line coach Justin Rascati decided to head to the Cincinnati Bengals as their passing game coordinator after spending two seasons in Minnesota. This move makes sense after Rascati’s strong collegiate career as a quarterback with James Madison University.
Now, though, the Vikings have made an addition to their coaching staff for 2024. That hiring comes in the form of Marcus Dixon, who spent the 2023 season with the Denver Broncos.
Vikings Add Another Member to Their Coaching Staff
This hiring was reported by ESPN’s Dan Graziano on Friday, who tweeted: “Sources say Broncos DL coach Marcus Dixon is expected to leave for Minnesota and become the Vikings’ new DL coach.” Ben Goessling also reported that Mike Smith won’t be back this season, thus opening up the spot.
Dixon played his college football at Hampton University from 2004-07, and he later went on to spend NFL stints as a player for the Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs, and Tennessee Titans.
In total, he appeared in 22 games (including four starts) and recorded a total of 21 tackles, two tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, a pass defended, and a forced fumble. Each of these appearances came with the Jets in a three-year stint from 2010-2012.
Following the conclusion of Dixon’s playing days, he began at his alma mater of Hampton back in 2017 and spent three seasons in multiple roles.
Dixon also has some prior experience with Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell. The new Vikings defensive line coach got his first NFL coaching gig with the Los Angeles Rams back in 2021, helping the team win a Super Bowl.
He then headed out to Denver where he has spent each of the past two years as the Broncos defensive line coach. Under Dixon’s tutelage, the Broncos ranked 10th in rushing yards allowed during the 2023 season and 13th in allowed yards per carry.
Now, Dixon will head to Minnesota to help coach a defensive line that is in flux right now. The Vikings have multiple contributors from 2023 set to hit free agency (Jonathan Bullard, Danielle Hunter, and D.J. Wonnum, to name a few).
In addition to Dixon’s hiring, the Vikings also announced that assistant head coach Mike Pettine will have the title of outside linebackers coach added to his name.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.
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