Brian Flores has been tasked with fixing the Minnesota Vikings defense as their new coordinator. Here are three former players he should bring in.
The 2022 Minnesota Vikings had quite the roller coaster of the season. They were able to pull off some huge wins, like their overtime win over the Buffalo Bills in Week 10, or their historic comeback victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 15. But then, there were huge, decisive losses, like in Week 2 against the Philadelphia Eagles and Week 11 against the Dallas Cowboys.
When it came to the defense, that is the main factor in the Vikings underperforming this season. After their shocking Wild Card Round elimination by the New York Giants, the Vikings fired defensive coordinator Ed Donatell. The writing was on the wall, as they surrendered 388.6 yards of total offense (second-most in NFL) and 25.1 points per game (tied third-most).
After a lengthy search, the Vikings found their new defensive coordinator in former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores. This is a huge move, considering the success he had leading the defense of the New England Patriots at the start of his coaching career. Now, he will be tasked in improving the defense of a playoff contender.
Considering he is a new coordinator, the Vikings could stand to bring in some of his former players to help out. Here are three former players who played for Flores that must sign in Minnesota.
3 former players Brian Flores needs to save the Vikings defense, No. 3: Devin Bush, LB
Prior to joining the Vikings, Flores spent the 2022 season as a senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach on Mike Tomlin’s staff. There is one player who Flores worked with in Pittsburgh and can bring over to Minnesota, and that’s linebacker Devin Bush.
The Steelers traded up in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft to select Bush. While he did show promise in his rookie season, he did have a setback in the form of a torn ACL in his sophomore season. But in 2022, in his first year with Flores working extensively with him, Bush improved.
In 17 games, Bush recorded 81 combined tackles (44 solo, 37 assisted), two tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries and two passes defensed.
Bush is a free agent due to the Steelers turning down the fifth-year option on his rookie contract. He could be a solid inside linebacker option for the Vikings this offseason.
3 former players Brian Flores needs to save the Vikings defense, No. 2: Jonathan Jones
The cornerback position will be one that the Vikings will need to address. After all, Patrick Peterson is scheduled to become a free agent this offseason. One free agent who does have a link to Flores dating back to their time in New England is Jonathan Jones.
While Flores was the linebackers coach for the Patriots after Jones signed as an undrafted free agent in 2016, he did become defensive play-caller for the entire 2018 season after Matt Patricia left to become the head coach of the Detroit Lions. Even so, Flores and Jones were on the same team for three seasons.
In Flores’ first year as defensive play-caller, Jones recorded 56 combined tackles (44 solo, 12 assisted), seven passes defended and three interceptions.
This past season in Jones’ final year under contract with the Patriots, he recorded 69 combined tackles (56 solo, 13 assisted), 11 passes defended, four interceptions, and three forced fumbles. In coverage, Jones allowed 48 receptions for 588 yards and five touchdowns on 91 targets, per Pro Football Reference.
Jones would be a good free agent signing by the Vikings.
3 former players Brian Flores needs to save the Vikings defense, No. 1: Duron Harmon, S
Bringing in a veteran safety would be a wise move for the Vikings. It just so happens that one player that Flores coached upon entering the NFL is Duron Harmon.
Prior to his four seasons as linebackers coach for New England, he was the safeties coach from the 2012-15 campaigns. One of the safeties that he helped develop was Harmon, a third-round pick out of Rutgers in 2013. As the years progressed, Harmon became one of the key players of New England’s secondary, alongside Devin and Jason McCourty, and cornerback Stephon Gilmore.
In his seven years with the Patriots, Harmon won three Super Bowl titles in four trips. In all, Harmon recorded 175 combined tackles (137 solo, 38 assisted), 28 passes defended, and 17 interceptions.
Harmon has openly praised Flores after he received the Dolphins head coaching job in 2019.
"“I can’t talk enough about how great of a leader he is,” said Harmon, h/t Sirius XM. “He was able to get the best out of each and everybody on that defense. I’m just taking it back to when I first got there, he was the safeties coach, and he did everything to put all his players in the best position…He’s putting us all in positions to play the game and putting us in positions to use our strengths to help the team.”"
This past season with the Las Vegas Raiders, Harmon put up solid numbers. In 17 games played, Harmon recorded 86 combined tackles (63 solo, 23 assisted), five passes defended, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles.
Harmon would be a solid addition to Flores’ defense in Minnesota.