Are The Vikings Still Making Defensive Moves?

The Minnesota Vikings finalized their initial 53-man roster, but it appears the team isn't done adding players and looking high and low for possible additions to the defense. Super Bowl winning EDGE rusher Kyle Van Noy was in Minnesota for a visit today and the Vikings signed five-year veteran defensive tackle Naquan Jones after he was cut by the Houston Texans.

First, adding Jones from the best defense in the NFL only adds valuable and reliable depth. On 50 pass rushing snaps, Jones finished with two pressures, a sack, a QB hit, and four tackles this preseason. 2024 is Jones best season as a member of the Arizona Cardinals. The defensive tackle finished with nine pressures, three sacks, five hurries, and a QB hit on 134 pass rushing snaps. 

Given the youth of Caleb Banks and Domonique Orange, adding Jones to the practice squad can allow call ups on game day for the first three weeks, if needed. Last season, Jones split time between the Chargers and Texans, but finished with just one pressure and QB hit between the two teams. 

The move for Van Noy is to add juice to the pass rush with Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner. At this point in his career, Van Noy is looking to compete for a title and would be another weapon at Brian Flores' disposal. The Ravens defense wasn't great in 2025, but Van Noy was still solid as a pass rusher finishing with 27 pressures, two sacks, eight QB hits, and 17 hurries.

The last three seasons in Baltimore have been productive for the veteran with 24 sacks since 2023. Adding on 127 pressures, 19 QB hits, and 84 hurries. Adding him as a rotational pass rusher just makes opposing offenses lives more difficult. A likely role of obvious passing downs could extend Van Noy's effectiveness and could lead to fresh legs through the season.

The Vikings are still looking to fill Jonathan Greenard's production after his trade to Philadelphia and Van Noy could be the answer. Flores will get creative with his blitz calls either way. 

It feels like the Vikings aren't done looking for defensive lineman and they shouldn't be. The elephant in the room is the potential return of safety Harrison Smith. The Vikings defense could look different come Week 1 at this rate. 

It all gets real soon, with Week 1 kicking off in just over a week.