The Minnesota Vikings don't appear to have earned much respect in the last year. The team finished the 2022 season as the NFC North champions with a 13-4 regular season record, but they lost their home Wild Card game to the New York Giants.

In that game, the defense made New York quarterback Daniel Jones look like a Pro Bowler, and it was indicative of a major problem that impacted the team for each of the past 3 seasons.

As a result, the Vikings hired Brian Flores to take over as defensive coordinator. Flores has a far more aggressive philosophy than Ed Donatell, who had previously held that position, but if the Vikings are going to improve on defense this season, the personnel must step up and play much better.

The Flores scheme can give players a chance to make more players, but when it comes down to it, the talent must be there.

The Vikings are hoping to show a significantly improved defense from the unit that ranked 30th in yards allowed and tied for 29th in points allowed.

Key additions in offseason

Minnesota made some key moves in the offseason to address their defense, and perhaps the biggest one was signing free agent cornerback Byron Murphy away from the Arizona Cardinals. The Vikings struggled badly in pass coverage and Murphy appears to have the chops to take on top-level receivers and limit their production significantly.

They also added outside linebacker Marcus Davenport from the New Orleans Saints, and he has the ability to pressure opposing quarterbacks. If Davenport can team successfully with pass rush specialist Danielle Hunter, the Vikings have a chance to become a much improved defensive team in 2023.

Both Murphy and and Davenport have proven themselves as NFL performers and they are not the type who are going to climb the ladder because of what they do in the preseason. The Vikings have a few of those players, and head coach Kevin O'Connell hopes a strong summer time showing indicates that they are ready to help the team win games in 2023.

Linebacker Ivan Pace shocks the Vikings defense

In many cases, when a team brings in an undrafted rookie free agent, it is just an opportunity for that player to compete against accomplished professionals by hustling and displaying energy. In some cases, they may do enough to make the practice squad, but the chances of actually making the 53-man roster are slim.

Taking it a step further and becoming a player who can become a regular performer or a starter is even more rare. Ivan Pace may be just that player.

Pace was a linebacker at the University of Cincinnati with a reputation for speed and hustle. Since joining the Vikings in training camp, Pace has been making plays on nearly an every-day basis. He has a chance to start at either the weakside linebacker spot or at the middle linebacker position.

Brian Asamoah was penciled in as the starting weakside linebacker position, but he has been troubled by injuries. Pace is not a big man at 5-10 and 231 pounds, but he understands the nuances of the position and he makes plays all over the field.

O'Connell has been impressed with the rookie. “The way he has the athleticism to run sideline to sideline, cancel out some mistakes,” O'Connell said. “f we lose a gap here or there, he’s shown to be able to get off blocks for a guy that when I watched his tape in college, he was almost unblockable and that’s translating in a lot of ways. It could be a great look, getting the linemen up to him on the second level, he somehow avoids that block and makes the play while maintaining doing his job, so he doesn’t undress any other facet of the defensive call.

Cornerback Akayleb Evans upgrades the Vikings secondary

It's clear the Vikings have confidence in Murphy, who is currently listed on the depth chart as a nickel back. One of the starters at the cornerback position is Akayleb Evans.

Evans was a rookie last year, and he played in 10 games for the Vikings and started in 2 of them. He had 23, 3 tackles for loss, 2 passes defensed and 1 forced fumble.

Evans did enough last year to get penciled into a starting secondary position, and he continues to grow in training camp. He appears to be a more confident player than he was a year ago, and he has demonstrated that he can be in the right position at the right time and make plays for the defense.