The Vikings reconstructed their defensive line for the 2025 season.

Minnesota added veterans Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave in free agency and drafted Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins out of Georgia; in August, the team surprised many across the league by trading Harrison Phillips to the Jets, just one year after he signed an extension with the Vikings.

The unit experienced ups and downs from a mix of veteran players and young guys looking to capitalize on opportunities.

Allen donned a new team's colors for the first time since entering the league as a first-round pick in 2017, and Hargrave brought experience from three previous teams over nine seasons. The two additions combined for 120 tackles and 7.0 sacks, increasing Minnesota's production against the passing game but the Vikings took some steps back when it came to defending the run.

Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell referred to Jalen Redmond as a "bright spot" who continued to show up throughout adversity. The 26-year-old — whom Minnesota signed as an undrafted free agent in 2024 — led the team in sacks with a career-high 6.0, and his 62 tackles were second among defensive linemen behind Allen (68).

Levi Drake Rodriguez, a seventh-round selection in 2024, took a step forward in Season 2 and appeared in 16 games after seeing action in just two as a rookie. He added a spark for the Vikings on defense, as well as special teams.

Taki Taimani also joined the Vikings as a UDFA in 2024 but appeared in just two games during his second season.

The Vikings drafted Ingram-Dawkins in the fifth round (139^th overall) and utilized him on special teams and defense. He notched his first career sack against Cleveland, taking down rookie QB Dillon Gabriel for a loss of 6 to help the Vikings defeat the Browns in Week 5.

Last but not least, enter Elijah Williams, whom the Vikings signed as an undrafted rookie out of the HBCU Morgan State University. Williams didn't get much playing time during his debut season, but he certainly impressed coaches during training camp and the preseason, demonstrating athleticism and a passion for football, and is a good player to keep an eye on moving forward.

Notable Numbers

16 – Vikings defensive linemen accounted for 16 of the team's 49 total sacks during the 2025 season, a number that jumped up from just four in 2024. In addition, the defensive line recorded 33 tackles for loss this season, more than doubling the previous season's total of 15.

74.3 – Analytics site Pro Football Focus gave Hargrave a tackling grade of 74.3, which ranked second-best in his career (behind only 75.0 in 2018) and ranked eighth best among interior linemen during the 2025 season.

811 – Allen's 811 defensive snaps played for Minnesota marked the second most he's played in a season, trailing the 868 he played for Washington in 2023.

Regular-season statistics

The Unsung Hero

And the Unsung Hero Award goes to … drumroll please … Jalen Redmond!

It's fair to say teams and pundits paid closer attention to Redmond as the weeks went on, but the former XFL player shined in a big way throughout the season.

O'Connell noted in mid-November Redmond had "clearly established himself" as a crucial piece of the Vikings defense.

"There's a standard to his play. It's shown up every single week, and it goes back a lot before everybody kind of started to notice it. For us, it just felt like he was a guy that we wanted to make sure was on the field as much as possible," O'Connell said. "He's a really good player. I think he's developed throughout his time here and really is starting to understand how he fits within the defense.

"Love the player and everything he brings to our defense and our building every day," O'Connell added.

The Highest High

Minnesota nabbed its third consecutive win of what became a five-game win streak at MetLife Stadium, defeating the Giants 16-13 after the previous day's chaotic travel experience.

The Vikings sacked rookie QB Jaxson Dart five times, and two of those were by defensive linemen. Early in the game, Redmond came up huge when New York opted to go for it on fourth-and-5 rather than kicking a 28-yard field goal. Redmond sacked Dart for a loss of 5, ending the Giants drive with no points.

Partway through the second quarter, Rodriguez sacked Dart on the first play of a series; things went downhill for New York from there. The Giants were flagged for delay of game two plays later, and on third-and-15 from the NY 24, Byron Murphy, Jr., intercepted Dart to return possession to Minnesota.

The Lowest Low

The Vikings fell 19-17 to Chicago in Week 11, splitting the series with the division rival. The loss proved especially costly for a Minnesota team that ultimately finished 9-8 despite early season struggles; had the Vikings been able to notch that victory, they would have had the same record as the Bears, who finished 11-6 to win the NFC North.

Minnesota struggled across the board in that game, but two defensive linemen PFF grades (not the end-all, be-all but a metric) stand out for all the wrong reasons: Allen (23.4) and Redmond (24.6) drew extremely rough numbers for tackling, and both received overall defensive grades in the 50s for that game.

2 Pressing Questions for 2026

1. Will the Vikings improve their run defense?

Minnesota has fielded impressive defenses in the past three seasons under Brian Flores. One area it's faltered, however, is against the run — at least as far as yardage goes. Give them kudos for only allowing 13 rushing touchdowns on the season (tied for eighth best in the league), but the Vikings allowed teams an average of 124.1 yards per game, which ranked 21^st.

Opposing offenses totaled at least 140 rushing yards against Minnesota six times; and the Falcons and Chargers broached the 200-yard mark in Weeks 2 and 8, respectively. In the Vikings nine wins, they limited teams to fewer than 140 yards on the ground in all but one instance (Cleveland recorded exactly 140 in Week 5).

Minnesota continues to adversely affect quarterbacks, but a boost in the run defense would be beneficial.

2. Will Redmond and Rodriguez take another step forward?

As already mentioned, the Vikings saw bright spots on the defensive line in Redmond and Rodriguez.

Will the young defenders take another step forward in Year 3?

Flores increased opportunities for Redmond and Rodriguez and they each took advantage on game day, while also impressing coaches with their work ethic during the week. As the Vikings start working on their roster for the upcoming season, will they be able to count on the duo even more in 2026?

See the Vikings 2026 Opponents.

Check out the Vikings 2026 Draft Picks.

View future opponents for the Vikings.

Buy single game tickets.

Download the official Vikings App.