Vikings LB Ivan Pace Jr. told Kay Adams on her show Monday that he'll wear the green dot on his helmet this season and call the plays in the defensive huddle. That's a significant revelation for the second-year player, who saw his playing time vary last year and then watched the team pay up for LB Blake Cashman in free agency.
Pace: "We lost Hicks. When he went down last year, they gave me that trust. Now that he's gone, I'm gonna definitely wear the green dot this coming season."
Vikings DB Josh Metellus in late May: "He's feeling more confident with the way he speaks to us in the huddle, the way he goes about his work and is a lot more intentional. I think he made a big step this offseason, and he's still trying to do as much as he can to learn every day and be that student on the field."
Wearing the green dot is big news for a LB, because it basically guarantees a full-time role. Defenses can only have one player on the field at a time wearing that dot and taking communications from the coordinator.
It's especially noteworthy for Pace because Cashman's three-year contract with a $7.5 million annual average salary pointed to him taking the lead LB role.
There's room for both to play near full time, though. Pace trailed Hicks by a wide margin in snap share for more of their shared games last year. But Hicks joined Eric Kendricks as tandem full-timers the year before -- HC Kevin O'Connell's first season at the helm.
Pace and Cashman both look like solid-to-good LB3-level picks for your IDP draft.
Pace's age (he'll turn 24 in mid-December) and early success (11 starts as an undrafted rookie) already put him in strong standing in our IDP dynasty rankings.
This news serves more as confirmation than a long-term outlook changer.
You could view Cashman as a mild loser here. The more Pace stays on the field, the better the chance Cashman comes off in some packages. But the Vikings didn't pay him $7.5 million per year in free agency to play part time.
The Minnesota safeties will bear watching here.
Camryn Bynum, Harrison Smith, and Josh Metellus all played at least 94% of the defensive snaps last year -- with Metellus splitting time between safety and slot CB.
There might not be room for all three to do so alongside two full-time LBs. And all three spent time "in the box," so we'll have to see who might get left out.
I boosted Pace's playing-time projection and shaved a little off each of those safeties. Check our IDP rankings to see where each guy lands -- and be ready for more potential updates throughout training camp and preseason as we gain role clarity.
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