Why the Vikings Have Confidence in New Starter
One area of the Minnesota Vikings roster is coming under constant scrutiny this offseason — the secondary. It’s not without reason.
It’s an area the Vikings have been weak in for a while, and as we head towards the start of the 2025 season, Minnesota lacks star power back there. However, the Vikings have confidence in their mostly young group, and the offseason moves show confidence in one guy in particular — Theo Jackson.
Why the Vikings Have Confidence in New Starter
Jackson entered the league in 2022 as a sixth-round pick for the Tennessee Titans. He failed to make the Titans’ final 53-man roster and wound up on their practice squad. After Minnesota lost their first-round pick of that year, Lewis Cine, to a broken leg, they swooped to sign Jackson off of the Titans’ practice squad. He’s remained on the Vikings’ active roster ever since, staying above Cine after he returned from injury.
The departure of Camryn Bynum in free agency left a space at free safety in Minnesota’s starting lineup. Harrison Smith and Josh Metellus have their own roles in Brian Flores’ defense. In Flores, the Vikings have a coach who can bring out the best in his players, particularly young and inexperienced ones like Jackson.
There is a need for someone to take up the role of the deep safety, and while many thought the Vikings might turn to free agency or the draft to replace Bynum, they didn’t.
The only new faces at safety are Bubba Bolden, who has bounced around the NFL and UFL over the last couple of years, and undrafted rookie Mishael Powell. The Vikings clearly have confidence that Jackson can take on a bigger role on the defense this season.
Theo Jackson’s Career So Far
Since arriving in Minnesota, Jackson has played in 43 games and suited up for every game last season. He has never been a nominated starter, and if that breakout season is going to happen, it needs to be now for the 27-year-old. A regular contributor on special teams, Jackson has played 222 defensive snaps over the last three seasons. He has two interceptions to his name — one in each of the last two seasons — as well as totaling 47 tackles, 4 pass deflections, and a fumble recovery.
Jackson impressed when in coverage last season with a coverage grade of 77.1 from Pro Football Focus. Of course, that was from a relatively small sample size of just 58 coverage snaps.
Is he ready to take on an extended role? With two years under the tutelage of Coach Flores, it certainly seems that if he’s not going to take on the almost every-down role that Bynum had, there will surely be an increase in the 7% of defensive snaps he played last season.
Jackson’s overall grade from PFF of 79.2 ranked 13th amongst safeties across the league. Sometimes, when those on the outside are pointing in different directions for the answers, those on the inside already know they have it. Is this the case with Jackson? We are about to find out.
With one of the best to ever do it in Smith at his side, Jackson has a chance to show he’s the latest example of what roster building is all about — developing players into significant contributors.
Jackson’s progress will be one of the more intriguing developments of the preseason.
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