Training camp preview: Defensive line
Looking in depth at the biggest camp questions on the Vikings D-line
By Matthew Coller
We continue our series analyzing the entire Vikings roster before camp with the defensive line…
The depth chart
Jalen Redmond — 2025 was a breakout season for the former UFL’er as he played 793 snaps in his second season as a Viking. He has earned the title of every-down player and is central to their success on the D-line.
Caleb Banks — The Vikings’ first-round pick will be expected to play a significant role on the defensive line right away. He is likely to be used as a three-techique and traditional 3-4 defensive end.
Domonique Orange — The Vikings haven’t had a true nose tackle since Linval Joseph. Orange will take over that spot directly over the center.
Levi Drake Rodriguez — Queitly played a fairly significant role on the defense last year with 461 snaps. LDR will be asked to use his strength and power similarly to Harrison Phillips.
Ty Ingram-Dawkins — The 2025 fifth-round pick could have a dynamic role on the defensive line, working as a three-technique and outside linebacker
Eric Johnson — A fifth-round pick of the Colts in 2022, Johnson has some experience with 701 career snaps. He hasn’t created many QB pressures but does have strength and some tools to work with. He will have a chance to earn a depth spot.
Isaiahh Loudermilk — The 6-foot-7 D-lineman was a fifth-round pick of the Steelers in 2021. He has played 843 career snaps and might be able to carve out a rotational role.
Elijah Williams — Signed from a rookie minicamp tryout, Williams made the team after a terrific preseason and saw 42 snaps last year. He’s fighting for a rotational role.
Taki Taimani — Saw a handful of snaps in 2024 and 2025 and spent time on the practice squad. The 330-pounder may have a better chance of making the team this year because the Vikings are using a traditional nose tackle.
Jahvaree Ritzie — The former Tarheel bounced around a couple of practice squads as a UDFA last year. He didn’t have big numbers in college but he had a great NFL Combine, which will get him some looks.
The numbers
— Jalen Redmond quietly was one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL last year. Among the 90 DTs who played at least 400 snaps, he ranked 20th best. Redmond was an elite run defense, ranking 9th, just ahead of Philadelphia’s Jordan Davis. He was fifth most in the PFF “STOPS,” based on tackles made that create an unsuccessful play for the offense.
— Redmond finished with the 25th most QB pressures in the NFL among DTs. However, he was only 53rd in pass-rush win rate. That’s an area he can continue to grow.
— Caleb Banks’ last full season in 2024 only saw him ranked 63rd out of 200 DTs in college football by PFF grade but he was strong in pass-rush win rate, ranking 17th. He was also sixth in Pass Rush Productivity among DTs, which is the pressure rate weighed heavier toward sacks.
— In 2024, when Domonique Orange only played 367 snaps, he ranked as the 19th best DT in college football by PFF and was surprisingly solid as a pass rusher, finishing 17th in pass rush grade. In 2025 when his snap count increased to 547, his efficiency decreased from a 82.6 grade to 68.3 (183rd) and his pass rush grade plummeted to average. This may suggest that keeping his reps down is key.
— Levi Drake Rodriguez was solid for the Vikings last year, ranking 68th of 142 full or part-time DTs by PFF. He would have graded even better if not for one issue: Tackling. He missed 15.2% of possible tackles and had only a 31.2 PFF tackling grade. If he improves there, he can take a jump forward.
— Ty Ingram-Dawkins played 250 snaps last season, and had 135 as a three-technique DT and 97 as an outside linebacker. With a lack of depth in the OLB room, will he see more time there? Or will they need him to rotate more at DT/DE?
— During last year’s preseason, Elijah Williams played 79 snaps and picked up 8 QB pressures and had an 80.4 PFF grade.
The storylines
— How much will Banks and Orange see first-team reps?
Clearly the Vikings would love if their two rookie players were ready to set the NFL on fire but defensive tackle isn’t a particularly easy position to transition from college to the pros. Last year there were only three defensive tackles who played over 500 snaps but there were seven who played between 400 and 500. Is that the expectation that we should have for Banks and Orange? We’ll begin to find out by how many first-team reps each player is taking during training camp.
— Will any of the other young DTs take a big step forward?
In 2025 camp it was Jalen Redmond who was so impressive that the Vikings traded Harrison Phillips away. This year there are candidates to take the big step, including Ty Ingram-Dawkins, Levi Drake Rodriguez, Elijah Williams and Taki Taimani.
The favorite to make the jump would be Ingram-Dawkins because he has an extremely high athletic ceiling. Whether he’s playing inside or outside, he has the burst and strength to be a difference-making player if it all clicks. Rodriguez has also quickly developed for a small school player and the same can be said for Williams. We’ll see if the change in scheme benefits Taimani.
— Can the Vikings find any gems in low-key signings?
When we look at the resumes of Eric Johnson and Isaiahh Loudermilk, there isn’t much to write home about. Neither player has never cleared 300 snaps in a season and the only year Johnson played more than 200 snaps his PFF grade was 30.5.
But we have said the same thing about other Vikings free agent signings who ended up working out. While Eric Wilson had a stronger history than either of these DTs, he was expected to only be a special teamer, not a borderline star player. Isaiah Rodgers was a backup for the Eagles and became an above-average starter. At DT, Jonathan Bullard and Jerry Tillery played a lot of snaps on a top-notch defense in 2024.
They may need one of these guys to step up if they feel that Banks and Orange aren’t quite ready for the workload they need. In camp, we will find out if either of them have some juice.
— How good can this unit be?
The defensive tackle group has the widest range of outcomes of any position on the field for the Vikings. If things click and Redmond continues to ascend and the rookies are ready to roll and the others start to show signs of improvement, these big fellas can be pretty good. They certainly have the physical attributes to be difficult on opponents. But if the rookies aren’t ready and the depth doesn’t prove to be strong enough, then it could be a rocky ride up front.
In the coming weeks, we’ll get a sense of which direction it’s going.
This is probably the unit where I have the most pessimism. Asking two rookies to step right in and be solid or better is a lot, and I like LDR but not enough where I think he and Redmond can hold it down on their own for an entire season. Maybe I should just look at the Tillery and Bullard season and relax, but I think the DL is probably more likely to be the explanation for a bad year on defense than the secondary that seems to be getting more attention.