Minnesota Vikings hope to have Josh Metellus on field more often this season

Josh Metellus arrived in Minnesota as a sixth-round safety from Michigan. He made himself indispensable to Vikings coaches by playing special teams.

It’s a story you hear often around the NFL. Younger players earn their keep by covering kicks and punts. But now in 2023, is it Josh Mettlus’ turn to do more on the field?

ESPN, using its NFL insiders, picked a surprise player for each team who impressed the most in minicamp and OTAs. Metellus owned that distinction for the Vikings.

ESPN’s Kevin Seifert wrote:

“The most interesting part of Metellus’ spring was the clear effort the Vikings’ new defensive staff made to find him a place to play. A backup safety and special teams ace in his first three seasons, Metellus worked extensively as the slot cornerback in the Vikings’ nickel set. Harrison Smith and Cam Bynum appear set as the starting safeties, but Metellus looked comfortable at nickel, and it’s clear the Vikings hope to see him on the field regularly this fall.“

Back in February, the Vikings elevated Brian Flores to defensive coordinator. Usually, new DC = new slate.. Josh Metellus took full advantage. He already was well respected because of his play on special teams. Last season, his teammates voted him as a team captain when Brian O’Neill was lost to injury.

With new DC, Josh Metellus expanded his on-field role

In the off season, Metellus expanded what he could do as a safety. Observers noted that he lined up at corner, safety and linebacker during minicamp. In fact, he was so good that he’s leaped ahead of Lewis Cline, the team’s first round pick from 2022, on the safety depth chart. So he’s the third safety behind Smith and Bynum.

“That’s the good part about the game, there’s always something to learn,” Metellus said. “Even at safety, I still haven’t figured that out (completely) yet. I’m learning things every day. The more I get to play in different spots, the more I’m just learning defense, how to play defense, and learning different tidbits to help us play faster, help us be more aggressive.”

And Metellus believes his devotion to special teams allowed him this roster break through on defense.

“I think there’s a lot of carryover,” he said. “Just doing things for the team. I’m learning all these positions on defense for the team, not for me.”

“I want to help the team win,” he said. “I want to be able to throw something in Kirk’s (Cousins) head where he’s like, ‘What is No. 44 doing? Is he at safety? Is he at linebacker? (Or) Is he at nickel?’ I want to be able to make the offense have to think about it.”

The transition from corner to safety was pretty seamless. But spinning down to linebacker took some time.

“That’s what practice is for,” Metellus said. “Then by the time Sept. 10 rolls around, I’ll be flying.”