Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins has been one of the more interesting Vikings defenders of the preseason. Not because his results have been clean. They have not.
Across Minnesota’s first two exhibition games, Ingram-Dawkins has recorded two tackles, three missed tackles and a nasty 36.8 PFF grade. Those are ugly numbers, even with all the standard preseason caveats.
But he has also created four pressures on only 15 pass-rush snaps.
That is a high-level pressure rate, and it explains why the Vikings are interested in giving the second-year defensive lineman more work away from his familiar interior-adjacent alignments. Last year’s fifth-rounder has flashed the size, movement skills and length to bother blockers from the edge.
The preseason has also shown the other side of the experiment. He can create chaos. He still has to learn how not to create it for the offense.
The Vikings are testing him wider
Ingram-Dawkins played in different spots last season, but his usage leaned toward the tackle.
Across 249 defensive line snaps, he lined up once in the A-gap, 16 times in the B-gap, 135 times directly over an offensive tackle and 97 times outside the tackle. He was versatile, but much of his work resembled that of a four- or five-technique defender playing on top of the tackle.
The two preseason games have offered a different distribution, with more outside responsibilities.
Of his 32 defensive alignments, 26 have come outside the tackle. He has lined up directly over the tackle five times and in the B-gap once.
That does not prove the Vikings are permanently converting him into a full-time edge rusher. Preseason exists to test players, and the staff may simply be giving him a wider edge sample to find out how much that role can be part of his game.
Still, the change is notable.
Minnesota wants to know whether Ingram-Dawkins can give the front another option on the perimeter. His pressure production suggests there is something worth exploring.
Asked about the appeal of playing outside, Ingram-Dawkins offered a simple explanation on Tuesday: “It’s a little bit more space. You can have a little bit more freedom. It’s a lot of fun.”
The freedom is visible on tape. He can attack a tackle with length, threaten the pocket and create disruption without needing to win from a traditional interior alignment. He is not Dallas Turner, nor does he need to be. A bigger defender who can pressure from the edge and still move inside in certain situations would give Brian Flores another useful variation.
The difficult part is doing the boring work
The job is not only about rushing the passer.
An edge defender has to set the boundary in the running game, maintain outside leverage and trust the structure of the defense. On plenty of plays, the most valuable outcome is not a tackle for loss. It is holding the correct gap, forcing the ball back inside and allowing someone else to make the tackle.
That is where Ingram-Dawkins remains a work in progress.
He has occasionally chased the big play, drifting inside or attacking a gap when the defense required him to stay wider. His three missed tackles reinforce the point. The physical ability is clear. The discipline is not yet consistent.
It is a common young-player issue. The desire to make a splash play is not a bad trait. It becomes a problem only when it pulls a defender away from the responsibility that keeps the entire unit sound. Suddenly, a running back or quarterback has a lane to escape the clogged pocket.
Ingram-Dawkins’ next step is not becoming less aggressive. It is becoming more selective.
Four pressures on 15 pass-rush snaps are worth chasing. The missed tackles and edge lapses are what he has to eliminate.
Flores sees the bigger picture
Flores is clearly encouraged by the overall trajectory.
The defensive coordinator praised Ingram-Dawkins’ focus, attention to detail and urgency this week. He said the Vikings are putting “a lot on his plate,” from edge work to interior alignments and third-down responsibilities, and that the second-year defender has handled it at “a pretty good level.”
That is an important vote of confidence.
Flores is not using Ingram-Dawkins as a one-dimensional backup. He is testing whether the player can develop into someone who gives the defense answers in multiple fronts.
Joshua Metellus can play all over the formation, while Andrew Van Ginkel can rush and drop. Flores’ unit is built around versatile players, who can play different roles without requiring a personnel change. Ingram-Dawkins said he has tried to stay “locked in and buy in every day” while learning the new demands of the role.
There will be mistakes. Flores said Monday that young players sometimes need to test a technique or take a chance, then see the consequence for themselves. Training camp and preseason are the places to learn those lessons.
Ingram-Dawkins is learning one of the most important ones now: the spectacular play is not always the correct play.
A useful next step
The Vikings do not need to decide today whether Ingram-Dawkins is an edge defender, an interior defender or something in between.
They need to keep gathering information.
The preseason has supplied some encouraging evidence. He can rush. He has enough athletic ability to make an outside role viable. He has embraced the extra responsibilities rather than shrinking from them.
It has also provided a clear assignment for the next phase of his development. Set the edge. Finish tackles. Stay disciplined long enough for the pressure opportunities to arrive.
If he can do that, Minnesota will have more than a versatile young lineman.
It will have a reliable one.
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