Vikings Miss on Linebacker After Rival HC Goes Step Further Than Kevin O’Connell (2024)

GettyHead coach Kevin O'Connell of the Minnesota Vikings.

The Minnesota Vikings have been touted as the best landing spot for quarterbacks with their infrastructure that features a quarterback-friendly coaching staff led by head coach Kevin O’Connell, scheme, and playmakers at the skill positions.

But the defense isn’t far behind as a plus-landing spot for prospects and established players.

Defensive coordinator Brian Flores is one of the most innovative minds in the game. The Vikings’ (mostly) young secondary could get more help from a revamped pass rush this season too.

And yet, it was O’Connell who may have cost the defense a chance at one of the more productive priority undrafted free agents on the market. More specifically, it was something O’Connell didn’t do that gave another team the final edge.

“With #Broncos seeking athletic LB, during 7th round of draft, Sean Payton called Levelle Bailey not once but twice to convince him to sign as undrafted free agent,” the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson reported on X on May 3. “It worked. Vikings, Bengals & Panthers also wanted Bailey but their head coaches didn’t call.”

All of the teams in rumored pursuit of Bailey are helmed by offensive-mined head coaches, including the Broncos. So it appears Payton’s effort was truly the difference.

Payton drew the ire of many in Vikings circles for claims he exaggerated interest in a draft trade.

He and O’Connell also exchanged pleasantries before the draft as potential competitors for the same quarterback prospects. The Vikings traded with the New York Jets to move up one spot, selecting Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy with the No. 10 overall pick.

The Broncos stood pat and selected Oregon’s Bo Nix. Both teams came away claiming they got the player they wanted all along.

Vikings Miss Out on ‘Productive’ LB After No Call From Kevin O’Connell

“Bailey is a productive inside linebacker with below-average size and average pursuit speed. The tackle totals are good but would be much more impressive if he played with better anticipation and play recognition,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft evaluation. “Bailey’s run defense falls below the mark, but he’s very natural and effective in coverage.”

Zierlein predicted the UDFA route for Bailey, noting his run defense as a hurdle to a roster spot.

Bailey is a fifth-year senior out of Fresno State. He logged back-to-back seasons with 80-plus tackles in his final two seasons. He also flashed as a playmaker finishing his collegiate career with 26 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, 6 interceptions, 5 forced fumbles, and 3 recoveries.

Bailey ranked sixth in the Mountain West Conference, recording a career-best 3 interceptions in 2023.

Production isn’t the problem, to be sure.

Bailey measured in at 6-foot-1 and 226 pounds at the scouting combine in March. But the Vikings have experience with that too, bringing in 2023 UDFA Ivan Pace Jr. – listed at 5-foot-10.5 – who earned some Pro Bowl support for his exploits last season.

The Vikings are deep at linebacker in stark contrast to last season, the second under O’Connell.

Vikings FA Signing’s Versatility Could Lead to Depth at LB

Former Minnesota Golden Gophers and Houston Texans linebacker Blake Cashman and ex-Miami Dolphin Andrew Van Ginkel joined in free agency.

Cashman should replace the departed Jordan Hicks (Cleveland Browns) in base alignments next season. Van Ginkel is an edge rusher, to be clear. But he has lined up as an off-ball linebacker in his career.

That includes when Flores was his head coach in Miami for the first three years of his career.

Brian Asamoah, a third-round pick in 2022 (No. 66 overall), is the only other linebacker with any game experience on the roster, so it’s not as though Bailey couldn’t have found a place.

Still, O’Connell and the Vikings figure to be in good shape, especially if rookie first-rounder Dallas Turner (No. 17 overall) allows Flores to take advantage of Van Ginkel’s versatility by commanding one of the starting EDGE spots.

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