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Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

PFF names Vikings' most improved player & 'secret superstar' in 2023

Originally posted on FanNation Inside The Vikings
By Will Ragatz | Last updated 1/31/24

No two players benefited more from the Vikings' addition of Brian Flores as defensive coordinator last year than safeties Camryn Bynum and Josh Metellus.

Under Ed Donatell in 2022, Metellus played fewer than 300 defensive snaps and Bynum was fairly mediocre in his first season as a full-time starter. A year later, they were both every-down players having phenomenal years in Flores' aggressive, versatile system. Neither made the Pro Bowl, but both earned some well-deserved recognition from Pro Football Focus recently.

PFF named Bynum as the Vikings' most improved player in 2023, after he improved his grade from 58.2 to 73.2 (15th-best among 74 safeties who played at least 500 snaps).

Although Bynum flashed ability as a role player in 2021, he failed to replicate that performance as a starter in 2022. However, 2023 was his year. He played more than 1,100 snaps for the Vikings' defense in 2023 and ranked as the fourth-highest-graded safety in the NFL over the first 14 weeks before tailing off toward the end of the year.

It's true that Bynum didn't have a great final month, but he still had an outstanding year on the whole. He led all NFL safeties with 137 tackles and also had nine passes defended, three forced fumbles, and two clutch interceptions against the 49ers.

Metellus, who the Vikings shrewdly extended prior to the season, had a breakout fourth year in his first opportunity to be a full-time defensive player. PFF named him as Minnesota's "secret superstar."

Sometimes, all a player needs is a fresh system to awaken them. The Vikings defense was one of the worst in the NFL in 2022, but Brian Flores' arrival awakened something in it this year, and the Vikings defense was an impressive unit that consistently got after offenses.

Metellus had a big part to play in that revival in his fourth season. No other safety registered more than his 29 pressures, and Metellus proved to be a constant force in the backfield as a blitzer. He shone through in all aspects of the game too, earning more defensive stops (45) than any other safety. He’s a force to be reckoned with.

If not for Danielle Hunter, Metellus would've had a strong case as the Vikings' defensive MVP in 2023. He was that good. Metellus led all safeties with 29 pressures, recording 2.5 sacks and ten quarterback hits. He also had 116 tackles, 7 TFL, four forced fumbles, five passes defended, a fumble recovery, and a pick. Metellus truly did it all for the Vikings, earning at least a 66.0 grade in run defense, pass rush, coverage, and tackling.

He just happens to disagree with the "secret superstar" label.