Can Jerry Tillery Give Vikings What They Need?

The Minnesota Vikings interior pass rush was putrid last season. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF) last year, 187 defenders rushed the passer at least 200 times. Vikings defensive tackles Harrison Phillips and Jonathan Bullard ranked 176th and 185th, respectively, out of those 187. It’s a legitimate concern to see what the Vikings interior pass rush solution will be this season.

Can Jerry Tillery resurrect his first-round pedigree for the Minnesota Vikings?

Until the games are played, current defensive tackle Jerry Tillery could be the solution to generate more pressure from the interior, at least according to Alec Lewis (The Athletic). Tillery was originally drafted in the first-round by the Los Angeles Chargers in 2019. In addition to his time with the Chargers, he also played two seasons for the Las Vegas Raiders before signing with the Minnesota Vikings this offseason

To increase interior pressure this season, the #Vikings could use Jerry Tillery, uptick in stunts in games, and infusing more of the edge rushers, per @Alec_Lewis 🤔

“One quick answer might be Jerry Tillery, who ranked 88th on that list. Plug him in, and the Vikings should… pic.twitter.com/k4F6WbNC1T

— The Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) June 29, 2024

“One quick answer might be Jerry Tillery, who ranked 88th on that list. Plug him in, and the Vikings should penetrate further, even if he is nowhere close to the stratosphere occupied by Quinnen Williams, Chris Jones or Aaron Donald.

Alec Lewis (The Athletic)

Although Tillery has failed to live up to his first-round pedigree, Tillery did post a 67.5 pass rush grade per PFF. Not great but not terrible either. For reference, Phillips and Dean Lowry each put up a pass rush grade of 53.6 in 2023. This was highest on the team, for the interior defensive line, for players