The Vikings Just Handed Out a Big Promotion
The Minnesota Vikings marshaled quite the trade on Wednesday evening.
The Vikings rewarded one of their own with a sweet promotion following the Harrison Phillips trade. Here’s what it means for the roster moving forward.
Obtaining two 6th-Round draft picks from the New York Jets, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah traded defensive tackle Harrison Phillips and a 7th-Round selection, ending a three-year run for a team captain and stockpiling the draft capital war chest.
The move also handed out quite the promotion to Jalen Redmond.
The Vikings Elevate Upstart Defender
Redmond will see more playing time in 2025 than in 2024.
Harrison Phillips Trade Clears Way for Jalen Redmond
Fans immediately absorbed the loss of Phillips and wondered what might come next after the deal. The team urgently needs wide receiver depth after injuries and suspensions, and another swap could be on the way for a wideout or two.
Soon after, reality sank in, indicating that Redmond would fill Phillips’ shoes. Minnesota has plenty of interior defensive line depth, but based on the current depth chart organization, Redmond is the natural candidate to take on Phillips’ workload.
It’s also worth mentioning that Phillips apparently became expendable when Adofo-Mensah signed Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave from free agency in March. Next to those Pro Bowers, it’s time for Redmond to shine.
Redmond’s 2024 Mini-Breakout
Redmond participated in 13 games for the Vikings last season, starting a pair, and tabulated 208 defensive snaps, with 18 tackles, 1 sack, 6 tackles for loss, 2 passes defended, and 1 quarterback hit.
Too, the former UFLer graded a 75.6 from Pro Football Focus. Had Redmond qualified for PFF’s minimum snap count, he would’ve been considered the 17th-best interior defender in the NFL. Not bad.
When Adofo-Mensah found Redmond in June 2024 after his successful UFL stay, most onlookers considered him a “camp body,” a man on his way to a roster cut after the preseason. Redmond totally flipped the script on the theory.
The New iDL Depth Chart
With Phillips gone, the Vikings will trot out these interior defensive linemen in 2025:
- Jonathan Allen
- Javon Hargrave
- Jalen Redmond
- Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins
- Levi Drake Rodriguez
- Elijah Williams
- Taki Taimani
- Jonathan Harris
- Travis Bell
Head coach Kevin O’Connell will likely keep about seven of those players on the 53-man roster, which will be revealed to the masses on August 26th. Most expect Harris and Bell to be the odd men out.
The Phillips trade might also secure a roster spot for Elijah Williams or Taki Taimani, who were previously on the roster bubble.
Increased Snap Count
With no Allen or Hargrave on last year’s depth chart, Phillips played 675 defensive snaps — or about 60% of the time. Redmond is on deck to take Phillips’ job, so expect his snap count to check in around 450 to 700, depending on injuries to any of his iDL teammates.
There’s no other way to dice it: last year’s upstart tackle-for-loss savant, Redmond, earned a promotion on Wednesday — out of nowhere.
More on Redmond
At PurplePTSD.com, Janik Eckart opined on Redmond this week: “Suddenly, there’s an opening on the line, and that is expected to be filled by a rotation led by Jalen Redmond. He was last year’s breakout star late in the season and even emerged as a starter instead of veteran Jerry Tillery.”
“This summer, there has been plenty of praise for the former undrafted defender, but he was still demoted to the second unit because of the two big-time signings. Redmond has played in 13 regular-season games with the Vikings, logging 18 tackles, one sack, and six tackles for loss.”
Redmond instantly became an inarguable winner of the Phillips trade.
“He did that damage in only 208 defensive snaps. Without Phillips, that number should easily double in the upcoming season. In 2024, Redmond earned Minnesota’s second-best PFF grade among defenders with at least 100 snaps, flashing his playmaking ability. After the season, the Vikings re-signed Redmond to another cheap one-year contract, worth $960,000,” Eckardt continued.
“If he can continue to grow, that’s an easy bargain, and that door has been pushed wide open on Wednesday. That’s pretty much excellent news for a player who’ll get the chance to step into Phillips’ vacated nose tackle role as a true run-stuffer. Expect to see much more from Mr. Redmond in the 2025 campaign.”
Redmond and the Vikings get the regular season underway in 2.5 weeks.
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