Vikings Surprise Starter Is Turning Heads
The Minnesota Vikings will mitigate safety Camryn Bynum’s free-agent departure this fall and winter, his first detached from the purple team’s roster since 2020.
A surprise Vikings starter is earning attention before training camp even starts. Here’s why fans and analysts are already buzzing and who could win the job.
Bynum used free agency in March to join the Indianapolis Colts, grabbing a handsome contract over the next four seasons worth $60 million.
As a result, Minnesota will likely promote veteran backup Theo Jackson to Bynum’s role, and thanks to recent summer chatter, folks learned that the Vikings are quite high on Jackson.
It’s Theo Jackson Time in the Twin Cities
Don’t expect a big summer battle at safety; it’s Jackson’s job to lose.
Theo Jackson as a Starter Is Not That Mysterious
While most fans have assumed Jackson will earn the starting job based on depth chart standing at the moment, The Athletic‘s Alec Lewis provided some clarity this week.
He told KFAN during a radio appearance, “I’ve had so many conversations with people that there’s not that much of a question mark with me about Theo Jackson’s ability.”
Because Jackson is relatively unproven, some have chosen a “believe it when I see it” approach regarding Jackson as a starter. But based on Lewis’ comments, plus general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s actions this offseason — or lack thereof in signing more safeties — Jackson isn’t some big question mark at training camp and in the preseason.
He’s just “the guy.”
A Promotion after Camryn Bynum Left
Adofo-Mensah actually extended Jackson’s contract right before the free-agent window opened on March 10th. The deal wasn’t massive — three years and $9.3 million — but it was enough to hint at a starter’s job in 2025 and beyond.
Minnesota needed a new safety following Bynum’s free-agent skedaddle, and after not pursuing big names like Jevon Holland, Jackson became the obvious choice inside Brian Flores’ 2025 defense.
Truth be told, promoting Jackson, with Bynum picking the Colts, might’ve been the plan all along.
Theo Jackson Bided His Time
This man has patience.
Minnesota onboarded Jackson at the dawn of the Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell era — three years ago. Because the safety room has remained stuffed to the gills with Harrison Smith, Josh Metellus, and the aforementioned Bynum, the Vikings haven’t needed Jackson to start or play that much, in general.
Yet, he’s stuck around for three seasons, culminating in an elevation this summer. It took multiple offseasons after getting dropped by the Tennessee Titans in 2022 for Jackson to climb the depth chart.
Now, he’s done it, and per roster navigation, Jackson is a trade “rags to riches” story.
Draft Evidence
From late January to late April, commonly known as the build-up to the NFL draft, many pundits believed Minnesota would select a safety in Round 1, oft-connected to South Carolina’s Nick Emmanwori and Georgia’s Malaki Starks.
The Vikings did no such thing, instead drafting Ohio State guard Donovan Jackson in Round 1. Thereafter, Adofo-Mensah picked zero safeties, which bolstered the case for Theo Jackson as a starter.
And here we are.
Other Jackson Takes
Zone Coverage‘s Nelson Thielen examined the Vikings’ safety room last month, including Josh Metellus and Jackson, and the symbiotic relationship between them.
He opined, “If your roster deficiencies force you to pigeonhole him into a single role, such as when they were short on bodies at linebacker last season and Metellus had to fill in there, the Vikings lose his versatility. What remains is a subpar player in a role he’s not perfectly suited for.”
“Metellus needs Theo Jackson to play well. If Jackson struggles and can’t live up to some facsimile of Bynum’s production on the backend, then they may have to slide Metellus back there more often. That makes him less versatile, which means he struggles more at that singular role, making the entire defense worse.”
It’s worth noting that if the Vikings decided this summer that Jackson isn’t quite cut out for the big job, veteran safeties, such as Justin Simmons, are routinely available on the free-agent wire.
Thielen added, “It’s an under-the-radar story to monitor headed into this season. If this defense fails to live up to expectations, I’d bet the secondary is the reason. The more glaring hole in the secondary is at corner, but Jackson coming up short would have a cascading effect down the roster.”
“Jackson is a young player who’s flashed in his limited opportunities, and this coaching staff clearly thinks he’s ready for this. It’s not dissimilar to the jump Bynum himself made when the Vikings elevated him to full-time starter. Jackson has the potential to do the same and thrive in this role.”
Vikings training camp is one week away.
You must be logged in to post a comment.