Vikings Fire Defensive Coordinator Ed Donatell After One Season

Donatell's defense struggled mightily throughout the 2022 campaign.

The Vikings have fired defensive coordinator Ed Donatell after one season, the team announced on Thursday evening.

"Today I informed Ed Donatell we will be going in a different direction at defensive coordinator in 2023," Kevin O'Connell said in a statement. "While this was a difficult decision because of the tremendous respect I have for Ed as a person and a coach, I believe it is the right move for the future of our football team.

"I want to thank Ed for his commitment to the Vikings this past season, for the positive impact he had on our players and coaches and for his role in helping me as a first-year head coach lay this foundation. We all wish Ed and his wife, Shari, only the best in the future. We will immediately begin our search to fill this critical role as we continue to build a championship standard for the Minnesota Vikings."

Donatell was hired last year because O'Connell believed his defensive scheme, developed over a decade as Vic Fangio's right-hand man, was difficult for quarterbacks to play against. It uses a 3-4 front in base personnel, but operates primarily out of nickel formations as all defenses do in the modern NFL. Donatell's scheme employs two high safeties on nearly every snap, rotating into various looks post-snap in an attempt to challenge the QB's processing ability. It also relies heavily on zone coverage and four-man pass rushes.

For whatever combination of reasons, it was not successful in 2022. The Vikings finished 31st in yards allowed per game and were tied for 29th in points allowed. They were also 27th in defensive DVOA.

The Vikings' defense actually ranked 16th in opponent EPA per play, in large part because they forced 25 turnovers (tied for 8th-most) and held teams to a 38.1 percent conversion rate on third down (12th-best). At times, their ability to generate takeaways, stiffen on third down, and avoid breaking in the red zone salvaged their overall defensive performance. That was part of the reason they went 13-4, winning all 11 of their one-score games.

However, the problems were bigger than the positives. All season long, the Vikings' defense bled yardage left and right. They allowed over 400 yards in nine of 17 games, including a stretch of six times in seven games during the second half of the season. The run defense was poor, and the pass defense was worse. There were large areas of open space for receivers over the middle of the field all season, not to mention numerous coverage busts due to miscommunication. 

The Vikings seemed content to sit back, rarely bring pressure with more than four pass rushers, and play in soft zone looks with plenty of cushion. To make it worse, the secondary rarely seemed to be on the same page when it came to passing off routes.

After a Week 14 loss to the Lions, the franchise record fifth straight game in which the Vikings allowed over 400 yards, O'Connell made it clear that all options short of revamping the entire scheme were on the table. Donatell acknowledged the issues later that week, saying the Vikings needed to "take some of the air out of the coverage."

There were some minor adjustments made down the stretch, including more man coverage and more blitzes, but it wasn't enough.

The final straw was the Vikings' playoff-opening loss to the Giants, an abysmal defensive performance in every way imaginable. They allowed 431 total yards, 31 points, and didn't force a single turnover. That marked the second time in three weeks that the Giants' offense — which had been mediocre for most of the year — lit up the Vikings' defense with ease.

The writing had been on the wall for a while, but that playoff loss sealed Donatell's fate.

To be clear, the Vikings' defensive players deserve plenty of blame for the unit's struggles this season. Too often, this defense looked old and slow. Too many mental mistakes were made. The personnel needs major upgrades this offseason. But even if that's true, the players didn't seem to be put in the best positions to succeed. And more damagingly, adjustments to the defensive scheme and strategy were too little and too late.

The Vikings' search for a new defensive coordinator begins now.

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