PFF Reveals Vikings Hidden Gem
The Minnesota Vikings have 90 players on the spring roster, kicking off organized team activities in nine days.
The Vikings have several underrated players, but one man takes the cake, according to Pro Football Focus.
The roster is in pretty sweet shape thanks to general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s free agency and draft efforts, and the group will reduce to 53 players by the end of summer.
The franchise has some underrated players, as well, and per Pro Football Focus, Minnesota’s most underrated performer heading into the summer is linebacker Blake Cashman.
PFF Tabs Blake Cashman as Most Underrated Viking
PFF’s Jonathon Marci sized up one underrated player from each NFL team last week, and for the Vikings, Cashman was that guy.
Marci explained, “Cashman is a relative unknown in the league as a former fifth-round pick who, outside of his rookie season and prior to becoming a starter in 2023, had failed to crack 150 defensive snaps in three straight years.”
“However, Cashman broke out in a big way in 2023 with the Texans, earning a top-10 PFF overall grade for his position (82.1), which helped him land a three-year deal with Brian Flores in Minnesota. Cashman delivered another strong year in 2024, playing a career-high 947 defensive snaps, ranking 22nd in PFF overall grade (72.0) and faring well in run defense (76.3).”
Vikings fans certainly didn’t under-rate Cashman in 2024, but perhaps a national audience wasn’t quite familiar with his game. Hence, the PFF shoutout.
Cashman’s First-Year Impact
Entering the 2024 campaign, Minnesota cut ties with veteran linebacker Jordan Hicks, who later joined the Cleveland Browns. Hicks was a fine linebacker, so Adofo-Mensah needed an equally productive or better replacement.
With that mission, he onboarded Cashman, an Eden Prairie High School alumnus, from 2024 free agency, who has spent the previous two seasons with the Houston Texans and three with the New York Jets from 2019 to 2021.
And Cashman had no trouble whatsoever acclimating to Brian Flores’ system, tabulating 112 total tackles in 14 games, with 11 quarterback hits, 8 tackles for loss, 8 passes defended, 4.5 sacks, and a fumble recovery.
His free-agent newcomer counterparts, like Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel, made the Pro Bowl while Cashman did not — which might a have little bit to do with PFF” s underrated mention.
Trajectory in 2025
There’s no reason to believe Cashman will regress in 2025. In fact, he could take off even further, perhaps playing a full season, unlike 2024 when he missed three games in the middle of the year.
The Vikings kept the two main starting off-ball linebacker intact, Cashman and Ivan Pace Jr., and drafted Penn State’s Kobe King in Round 3 three and half weeks ago. The club also signed Eric Wilson for depth purposes.
But Cashman will get a full workload once again this season. He feels like the type of player who might stick around Minnesota for the next several years and retire as a Viking. Probably because of the hometown origins.
Other Cashman Takes
PurplePTSD‘s Janik Eckardt wrote about Cashman this week, “Last offseason, the Minnesota Vikings overhauled their defense, exchanging about half of their starting unit. Among the newcomers were free agents Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel. Both have quickly established themselves among the league’s most respected pass rushers, leading to a Pro Bowl nomination for the duo.”
“But another addition didn’t get that much buzz in his debut season with the Vikings. Linebacker Blake Cashman was a steal in free agency and quickly became a key figure in Brian Flores’ unit. Unlike Van Ginkel and Greenard, he didn’t land his first Pro Bowl trip.”
With Cashman in the middle, the Vikings’ defense ranked second in the NFL per EPA/Play, an efficiency metric adjudicating expected wins added.
Eckardt concluded, “Cashman was fantastic as an all-around linebacker, showing his skills as a pass rusher, in coverage, and against the run. He also made the calls on the field as the green-dot player, relaying the calls from Flores to his teammates.”
“The defender just turned 28 last week, and the Vikings will once again rely on him to manage the defense on the field. He’s one of the few irreplaceable players and a key player in Minnesota’s defense. It’s time for non-Vikings fans to get to know the man.”
More Underrated Vikings
PFF did not include any honorable mentions for underrated Vikings players, but if so, these men could’ve gotten the nod:
- Ty Chandler (RB)
- Theo Jackson (S)
- Josh Oliver (TE)
- Jalen Redmond (DT)
Chandler isn’t much of a pass-blocker, but he can tabulate yards on the ground at will. Jackson has been buried on the depth chart behind Camryn Bynum but will get a chance to shine as a starter in 2025. Oliver does the dirty work in Kevin O’Connell’s offense. And Redmond emerged as a UFL gem in 2024.
Cashman turned 29 last week.
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