EAGAN, Minn. — On his first defensive snap of the season, Eric Wilson aligned a yard inside the middle receiver split to the offense's right in a 3x2 empty formation early in the second quarter at Soldier Field.

The veteran linebacker leaned onto his toes in a half-crouched stance, simulating a pressure off the edge.

Upon the snap, Wilson transitioned his 6-foot-1, 231-pound frame into a backpedal for a few steps and then whipped his hips around to match the vertical strides of Bears receiver Rome Odunze, charting a course up the seam and past midfield. Suddenly, Odunze slammed the brakes and cut inward on a deep dig. Wilson was in phase, walling him off the whole time, and swiveled again as if the route was his own.

Meanwhile, Chicago's Caleb Williams progressed left to right and moved past Odunze when he saw Wilson smothering him. Williams completed a pass to the far right side, but Wilson's execution was sublime. He didn't look 30 years old or like a reserve journeyman signed to inspire the special teams.

On the next snap, Wilson lowered in that two-point stance, shed a block by rookie tight end Colston Loveland and closed the space between him and WR DJ Moore, who acted as a running back and took a handoff in the backfield. Wilson sniffed it out after a yard to register solo tackle No. 1 out of 60 in 2025.

Wilson didn't begin his ninth season and fifth overall with the Vikings (2017-20) atop the depth chart, but he's a living, breathing, walking, dominating testimony that it's not how you start but how you finish!

After Blake Cashman injured his hamstring in the opener, Wilson piloted the defense's communication. He played so well he stuck as the starter opposite Cashman, over incumbent Ivan Pace, Jr., when Cash' returned in Week 7. And together, Wilson and Cashman were a two-man tackling crew, with 259 total.

While Cashman's instincts directed him to the ball constantly, Wilson displayed an inclination for splash plays. He was an utter boss doing standard LB stuff in the box and blitzing off the edge or shooting gaps.

Nationally, Wilson was undervalued. But what he accomplished in his return to the Purple was priceless.

Notable Numbers

2 — Other players tracked since 1999 with an all-around impact in Wilson's realm: 5.0 or more sacks, 15-plus tackles for a loss, at least 100 combined tackles and four forced fumbles. Wilson was preceded by 2008 NFL Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison, as well as First-Team All-Pro Jamir Miller in 2001.

9.5 — Tackles per game, or 256 in 27 appearances, for Cashman two seasons into his homecoming. The list of players to average more in exactly as many games — and beginning from their first game with a franchise — is thin and features some all-timers: Foyesade Oluokun (10.8), Shaquille Leonard (10.3), Ray Lewis (10.1), Patrick Willis (10.0), C.J. Mosley (9.8), Alex Singleton (9.7), Roquan Smith (9.7) and Luke Kuechly (9.5 via 257 total tackles). Tackle stats, by the way, are loosely recorded by clubs dating to 1987.

17 — Tackles for loss from Wilson, the most by a Vikings ILB since E.J. Henderson's 17 in 2007, and second most in the NFC in 2025 after Brian Burns (22). Wilson finished sixth in the NFL in the category.

40/40 — Wilson was one of seven defenders overall to post 40-plus pressures and 40-plus "stops" (tackles constituting a negative EPA) per Next Gen Stats, with 40 and 65. Yaya Diaby (68/43), Jared Verse (67/46), Burns (58/50), Byron Young (54/62), Alex Highsmith (45/41) and T.J. Watt (44/45) did so, as well.

The Brightest Spot

Long before the Christmas Day triumph vs. Detroit, Minnesota played fearlessly to win in the Lions Den.

The score was 27-24, and the storylines, understandably, geared toward first-year starting QB J.J. McCarthy, who was inserted into the lineup Nov. 2 for the first time since mid-September. Returning from a high-ankle sprain and seeking his second divisional win in as many tries, McCarthy made plays, passing for a pair of touchdowns then revealing his alter-ego death stare in the locker room afterward.

What if I told you that the game was decided in large order by Minnesota's nonstop linebacking tandem?

Playing his third game after missing four on Injured Reserve, the quarterback of the Vikings defense, Cashman, tallied 14 tackles, including one for a loss, and one forced fumble on rejuvenated legs. His dance partner, Wilson, supplied six tackles, three for a loss, and he sacked Detroit QB Jared Goff twice.

It was a double dose of mayhem from a duo that really deserved a baller nickname by season's end.

Amazingly, both of Wilson's sacks happened on third-and-6; the first feast commenced with about one minute left in the opening quarter when Cashman and Wilson mugged the A gaps and criss-crossed after the snap. Cash' burst through untouched and smacked Pro Bowl RB Jahmyr Gibbs in pass protection, while Wilson won a hand fight with center Graham Glasgow and breezed past the preoccupied tailback.

As soon as Wilson slapped the nameplate on Goff's Honolulu blue jersey, he folded into a fetal position.

Cashman left his biggest mark on the game by pursuing and tackling Lions RB David Montgomery on a toss sweep in enemy territory pretty much halfway through the third quarter. Cashman caught up to Montgomery after an 11-yard gain, wrapped him up and jarred the ball loose; it was nabbed on a bounce by Harrison Smith, and "The Hitman" was tackled at Detroit's 35. McCarthy ran for a TD five plays later.

Wilson's second takedown ruined a TD shot for Detroit with 55 ticks to go in the third frame and the Lions plotting inside Minnesota's 20. Executing a similar double-A gap blitz, the LB tandem attacked straight ahead this time and Wilson found the look he wanted, slipping free with only Gibbs in front of him. A forearm shiver to the neck region created a cake walk, and Wilson clobbered Goff, jumping atop his shoulder pads and then crawling off on all fours, the third two-sack game of his career confirmed.

Their combined impacts keyed 20 pressures on Goff, the most he endured in a game all year, per NGS, and the second most in 2025 for the Vikings, who had 21 pressures at Dallas on Sunday Night Football.

The Lowest Moment

As robust as Minnesota's defense was most of the year, it laid an absolute egg in Week 2 against the Falcons and Bijan Robinson, who raced for 143 yards on 22 rushes and forced 12 (!!!) missed tackles.

The main culprit for those misses in the 22-6 loss on home field was Pace, who whiffed five times, according to Pro Football Focus. Wilson, in his first start of the season, missed twice, which tied for the second most. As a collective, PFF determined 10 different Vikings defenders combined to miss 16 tackles.

By comparison, Atlanta's defense bumbled two tackles that game.

It was uncharacteristic of a unit coached by Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores and of a LB core, even sans Cashman, that had logged ample hours on task. (It was Pace's 30^th career game and Wilson's 127^th).

In the aftermath, and really for the next several weeks, the topics discussed in weekly media sessions with Flo' revolved around the basic fundamentals of defense: gap integrity, block-shedding and tackling.

Pace had four combined misses in the international matchups against Pittsburgh and Cleveland, and he didn't play more than 17 defensive snaps in a game once Cashman re-entered the picture after the bye.

The 25-year-old remains an intriguing player because of his blitz skills and dexterity defeating blockers despite his shorter stature. He played about 100 more snaps in 11 games in 2024 than in 17 ops in 2025.

2 Pressing Questions for 2026

1. If Wilson re-signs, can he replicate his success?

It seems the Vikings will have an interest in re-signing Wilson.

It's at least advisable, though, to brush up on historical precedent for possible signs of decline at the position around 32 years old, which Wilson will turn Sept. 26. Before rabbiting down that hole, we will note Wilson looks, physically, like an athlete entrenched in his prime. For the lack of a better term, he's chiseled. His muscles have muscles. And he's incredibly conditioned, handling 1,138 total snaps in 2025.

Anywho, the Stathead database features 23 LBs who gathered at least 100 tackles and produced 3.0 or more sacks in Year 10 or later, and age 32 or older, since tackles were first consistently tracked in 1994.

It's an impressive crop of defensive stalwarts (by recency): Lavonte David, Bobby Wagner, Eric Kendricks, Demario Davis, Wesley Woodyard, Thomas Davis, Derrick Johnson, Daryl Smith, Karlos Dansby, London Fletcher, Larry Foote, James Farrior, Brian Urlacher, Keith Brooking, Ray Lewis, Zach Thomas, Derrick Brooks, Donnie Edwards, Jessie Armstead, Mo Lewis, Marvcus Patton, Cornelius Bennett and Sam Mills.

In other words, a statistical reproduction in 2026 would demand an all-time great effort from Wilson.

The thing is, the version of Wilson we just witnessed, the standard he set and proved feasible in 2025 …

That was one for the books, ladies and gents.

2. What will Minnesota do to acquire LB depth?

Five inside 'backers made the initial 53-man roster: Cashman, Austin Keys, Kobe King, Pace and Wilson.

Four were expected, with King warranting inclusion because he was taken in the sixth round and added an old-school thumper skill set to a room already stocked on speed and blitzing prowess. Keys, nicknamed the "Mississippi Bullfrog," was the surprise, and a cool story, making the squad as a UDFA by way of Ole Miss and then Auburn. His size and athleticism translated to an instant role on special teams.

However, neither rookie remained on the roster. King was waived the day Minnesota visited Los Angeles for Thursday Night Football (he was scooped up by the Jets), and Keys was waived ahead of Week 18 and landed with the Cardinals. Clearly, the Vikings weren't convinced they could become bigger contributors.

That leaves some depth questions in the heart of Minnesota's defense; Cashman is signed through 2026, while Wilson is a pending unrestricted FA and Pace, following his third pro season, will be a restricted FA.

Minnesota will likely implore ILB options in the 2026 NFL Draft as well as free agency. There's risks and upside to both channels. The defense could gain a young, productive player from the college waters with developmental potential or plug-and-play capabilities depending on the round it commits to that route.

The alternate approach, which the Vikings have opted for each of the past two offseasons, could offer them an established veteran (Wilson), or an ascending player who pinballed around in Cashman's mold.

It will be interesting to learn more about college and pro candidates as our Mock Draft Tracker series begins soon, and how things unfold when the new league year and 2026 free agency launches March 11.

For what it's worth, here's the consensus Top 5 linebackers courtesy ESPN draft experts Mel Kiper, Jr., Matt Miller, Jordan Reid and Steve Muench as of Jan. 10 (listed alphabetically): Georgia's C.J. Allen, Cincinnati's Jake Golday, Texas' Anthony Hill, Jr., and Ohio State tandem Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles.

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