There will be plenty to speculate on this offseason when it comes to what Brian Flores will bring to the Vikings as their new defensive coordinator.
Flores and his predecessor, Ed Donatell, might both run 3-4 defenses, but that’s where the similarities end. Flores loves to send pressure at opposing quarterbacks and provide pre-snap looks that cause confusion. Donatell was expected to do some of those things but it didn’t end up happening.
The Vikings’ defense only sent pressure 18.9 percent of the time this season and ranked 24th in the NFL, according to Pro Football Reference. The Giants, who beat the Vikings in the first round of the playoffs, were first at 39.7 percent.
Flores, who was a defensive assistant this past season with the Pittsburgh Steelers after being fired as the Dolphins’ coach, was in charge of a Miami defense that ranked second in the NFL in blitz rate at 39.6 percent in 2021.
That’s only one example of the difference in philosophy that Flores will bring to Minnesota. So what current Vikings stand to benefit the most?