Houston’s Mistake, Minnesota’s Miracle: Ex-Texans Players Fuel Vikings Defensive Turnaround

For much of last season, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores held his unit together with string and some duct tape. It worked for the most part due to Flores’ blitz packages and multiple coverages. However, the shortage of talent caught up to Minnesota as the Lions (twice) and the Packers scored 30 or more points on them down the stretch.

The Vikings saw edge rushers Danielle Hunter and D.J. Wonnum and middle linebacker Jordan Hicks walk in free agency. With these departures and some holes to fill at the cornerback position, 2024-25 looked like a rebuilding year for the Minnesota defense.

Vikings Acquire Defensive Help

But Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and coach Kevin O’Connell made some quiet but important moves in free agency. First, they signed free-agent edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkle to a one-year contract. They then turned their sights to the Lones Star State and picked up rising sack star Jonathan Greenard and late-blooming inside linebacker Blake Cashman, also in free agency. Those additions, including defensive lineman Jerry Tillery and veteran cornerbacks Shaq Griffin and Stephon Gilmore, have transformed Minnesota’s defense into one of the best in the NFL.

How good? In this case, the numbers don’t lie. The Purple defense currently ranks fourth in the league for points allowed with 219 through 12 games. And their run defense is even stingier, allowing only 976 rushing yards to their opponents. And although their bend but don’t break pass defense gives up an average of 243 passing yards a game, they have only relinquished 18 touchdowns through the air, which places them solidly in the middle of the pack, statistically speaking.

Hometown Boy Does Great

Blake Cashman played his high school football at Eden Prairie High School in Minnesota and was an All-State cornerback and linebacker on four state championship teams. Despite his success, he was an unranked recruit who chose to walk on at the University of Minnesota. Playing without a scholarship at first, he worked his way into the starting lineup as a sophomore and eventually led the team in tackles as a senior, making the All-Big Ten Second Team.

Cashman was drafted in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the New York Jets, but a series of injuries left his career in doubt. Shoulder, hamstring, and groin problems kept him out of 35-49 games over his three years in New York. The Jets traded him to the Houston Texans after the 2022 season. But Cashman got healthy, and in 2023, under new Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans, he flourished. In 13 starts last season, he had a team-high 106 tackles.

Salary cap considerations dictated that Cashman might have to find employment elsewhere. The Vikings, Texans, Broncos, Packers, Steelers, and Falcons all lined up in an attempt to sign the rising league star. The Vikings won out inking Cashman to a three-year deal. And he has rewarded the team with an All-Pro-like performance in 2024. Despite missing three midseason games due to a turf toe injury, he is third on the team with 66 tackles, has contributed three quarterback sacks, and has been the defensive play-caller all season.

A Star in the Making

Jonathan Greenard was a two-sport star (football, basketball) at Hiram High School in Hiram, Georgia. On the football field, he was named the 5-A Regional Defensive Player of the Year as a senior. He chose the University of Louisville to continue his education and career.

After an injury-plagued tenure at Louisville, he transferred to the University of Florida as a graduate transfer, where he finished his college career with 9.5 sacks, 52 tackles, and three forced fumbles. He was named Southeastern Conference Co-Defensive Lineman of the Week for his efforts after his first game with the Gators against Miami. Greeenard was drafted in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans. He became a starter in his second season, registering eight sacks in 12 games. Unfortunately, he was limited to eight games in 2022 due to a calf injury. But he put it all together the next season when he accounted for 12.5 sacks in 15 games in his breakout season.

And the Vikings came calling last offseason, eventually signing Greenard to a four-year $76 million contract. And neither party has looked back as he has accumulated 10 sacks and, along with Van Ginkle and the Patrick Jones II, has provided Minnesota with a dynamic outside pass rush. If his play continues at this pace, he will be a strong candidate for Pro-Bowl and All-Pro honors at season’s end.

The Texas Two-Step

After Blake Cashman signed with the Vikings this off-season, his first call was to his girlfriend. His second call? Not to his mother, his agent, or his brother. It was to teammate Jonathan Greenard, who had also just signed on with Minnesota. They discussed their future together, playing for the Vikings. “We immediately were just sharing our excitement, congratulating each other and talking about what kind of mentality we’re going into this with, and ‘We’re gonna make this a great year.’ We both came off, you know, probably our best season so we just want to continue to work hard and take the next step.”