Training camp preview: Inside and outside linebackers

Analyzing the Vikings' linebackers and their outlook for training camp

Photo courtesy Minnesota Vikings

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By Matthew Coller

We continue our series analyzing the entire Vikings roster before camp with the linebackers…

Inside Linebackers

The depth chart

Blake Cashman — The Vikings’ clear LB1, Cashman is an every-down player who handles the green dot duties and is vital to their front seven.

Eric Wilson — Last offseason when Wilson arrived the expectation was that he would be a depth player and special teamer but instead he ended up playing 965 snaps. Wilson shined when Cashman was out with an injury and then turned into a versatile weapon when Cashman returned.

Jake Golday — The Vikings’ second-round draft pick played multiple spots at Cincinnati and has a chance to carve out a role and act as depth as a rookie.

Ivan Pace Jr. — The former starter has been relegated to a special teams role, only playing 324 snaps last season. After drafting Golday, it’s hard to see that changing.

Bangally Kamara — The Vikings signed Kamara after his rookie minicamp. He is an undersized player at 6-foot-2, 223 pounds who played inside and outside linebacker in college at Pitt and Kansas.

Keli Lawson — Lawson has a unique body type at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds. He made Bruce Feldman’s “Freak List” in 2023 due to his 82-inch arms and 39-inch vertical. His college production did not match his athletic prowess as he only managed a 53.5 PFF grade last year at UCF.

Jacob Roberts — Roberts was a CFL’er in 2025. He was an effective tackler and blitzer in college.

Josh Ross — Ross was a UDFA in 2022 with the Ravens and appeared in a handful of games for Baltimore. He was with Seattle in 2024.

The numbers

— In 2024, Blake Cashman ranked by PFF as the 13th best linebacker in the NFL. He was a force in the pass rush and ranked in the top 20 in run defense, tackling and coverage.

— Cashman’s 2025 season was tougher. He was slowed by a hamstring injury to start the season and didn’t return until Week 7. He still finished the season a top run defender but his coverage and pass rush numbers declined. Cashman was 37th of 59 starters in coverage and 38th in pass rush.

— Eric Wilson led all inside linebackers in QB pressures with 37 in 2025. He ended up playing 336 snaps as an outside linebacker, three times more than his career high.

— Wilson also ranked 9th in STOPS (tackles on unsuccessful play for the offense) despite missing 17.5% of his tackles (5th worst).

— Golday played 500 snaps in the slot over his last two years at Cincinnati. He had strong 81.8 and 77.5 PFF coverage grades in those years.

— Golday was an elite run defender with a 90.5 PFF grade and and only had 10 missed tackles.

— In 2023, Pace Jr. had a 77.1 PFF grade, 15th best in the NFL. Since then his performance declined. He dropped to 64.6 in 412 snaps and then 45.1 in 324 snaps last season. What happened? His coverage performance plummetted and missed tackle rates blew up. Pace Jr. only allowed a 75.9 rating into his coverage in 2023 but those numbers went up to 115.6 and 121.8 in the last two seasons. His missed tackle percentage also jumped from 9.4% to 18.6%.

The storylines

— Will Cashman land an extension?

Cashman is going into the final year of his contract and is only making $7.5 per year average annual value. That ranks 29th among linebackers. From Cashman’s perspective, he is likely looking for a significant raise as players like Quay Walker got $13.5 million per year this offseason in free agency and Tremaine Edmunds landed $12 million per season. Are the Vikings going to lock him in for the long term or might there be concerns about his injury history and age?

— Can Golday carve out a role?

The formre Bearcat has a versatile skillset that might open the door to him mixing in as a rotational player. During training camp we will see if that can become a reality in 2026. Heading into camp it appears that Golday is going to be depth at inside linebacker and a special teamer. If he can emerge as more than that during the summer, it could give Flores another weapon to use.

— What does Year 2 in Flores’ defense look like for Eric Wilson?

Wilson took everyone by surprise last year when he turned into a star player by blitzing from the inside and mixing into an outside linebacker spot. At his age, there isn’t another step in development to take, rather it’s another step in what Flores believes he can do with Wilson. Will they be trying to recreate the role again or add more to his plate? We will be looking for signs during camp.

— Will any UDFAs win a job on the 53?

It wouldn’t be a shock to see the Vikings keep a fifth inside linebacker because of the increased importance of the kickoff. While the preseason has been deemphasized for starting players, it could be big for any of the ILBs who are aiming for a potential final spot.

Outside linebackers