Keys for the Vikings' defense in their preseason game with the Ravens

Aug. 21, 2026, 10:01 p.m.

The Minnesota Vikings’ defense displayed its potential dominance this week during joint practices against the Baltimore Ravens. With almost all the first-team contributors set to sit in Saturday’s game against the Ravens at U.S. Bank Stadium, how much can we expect from Brian Flores’ unit? Dallas Turner and Eric Wilson terrorized Lamar Jackson on Thursday, but with them sitting, who will step up? Even if Turner continues his red-hot training camp into the season, questions still surround how effective the team’s current crop of backup EDGE defenders is. The safety room has lots of questions, but in a different way. You could argue for four players to start, but differences in their experience make it tough to determine who will ultimately be the team’s starting duo.

That is, if Flores chooses to only use two safeties in his “base” defense. Here are three keys to look for from the Vikings’ defense in Saturday’s matchup against the Ravens. Keys for the Vikings’ defense in their preseason game against the Ravens Someone takes over at EDGE Turner and Andrew Van Ginkel won’t play Saturday, meaning we’ll see plenty of reps from Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, Bo Richter, Tyler Batty, and Chaz Chambliss. All add value to the team in some way. Ingram-Dawkins is ultra-talented and young, with the versatility to play all along the defensive line, while the other three are probably better suited as special teamers. That means there are cases to be made for all of them making the team, but should any of them be trusted as the first EDGE off the bench?

Ingram-Dawkins posted a 39.1 PFF grade last week against the Giants, the fourth-worst on the defense. He’s still new to the role after spending his rookie season as a defensive tackle, so we should expect growing pains, but does that mean it’s fair for him to be counted on as EDGE3 when the regular season arrives? Or will the group’s ineffectiveness force a veteran signing? More consistency from the rookie interior linemen Last Saturday was a learning experience for Caleb Banks and Domonique Orange.

The two rookies, selected in the first and third rounds, respectively, had some good moments, but inconsistency plagued them. Banks posted a 30.4 PFF grade, the worst among defenders, while Orange had a 45.0 grade, seventh-worst on the defense.

Banks, who stands 6-foot-6, 330 pounds, struggled to keep his pad level low. It will take him time to consistently get low, but these game reps will help him, especially after he only played four games last year for Florida. However, he and Orange worked closely with defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen before practice on Wednesday and Thursday. They each flashed in team drills on Thursday, with Banks destroying a Derrick Henry run for a loss and Orange getting what appeared to be a would-be sack. If they can translate that to game reps, their development will continue trending in the right direction. Who stands out at safety? I feel confident saying Josh Metellus, Theo Jackson, Jakobe Thomas, Jay Ward, Jacob Thomas, and Tavierre Thomas will all make the roster at safety.

But outside of Metellus and Tavierre Thomas- a special-teams ace, but that’s it- I can’t figure out exactly how much the other five will or won’t see the field. Jackson continues to get lots of first-team reps, but he isn’t getting all of them. Ward is mixing in as both a traditional safety and a “big nickel”.

He is still listed as the team’s second safety, but Jackson is playing so much that I don’t know how to view the depth chart. Further muddying the lineup is how much Jacob Thomas, a UDFA out of James Madison, played in joints. He had an interception against the Giants and looks the part on defense.

But would Flores trust an undrafted rookie in his secondary so early on? If anything, that’s more of a hold-up than what Thomas has done or hasn’t done on the field. Then there is third-round pick Jakobe Thomas, not to be confused with Jacob Thomas. Back stiffness kept Jakobe Thomas out of the Giants game. He did suit up on Thursday, but I didn’t see him participate in 7-on-7s or team drills. That probably means he’s out Saturday against the Ravens.

I just don’t know where he stacks up when he returns fully healthy.