The Minnesota Vikings continue to put the pieces together with Deshea Townsend being the newest addition to the growing coaching staff.
Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network reported the news on Friday.
Townsend is being hired as the new secondary coach for a Vikings defense that looked lost against the pass last season. The team clearly needs serious work on the backend of the defense after trying to put a Band-Aid on the situation by bringing in players like legendary cornerback Patrick Peterson, Xavier Woods and Bashaud Breeland.
Peterson and Woods finished the season on one-year deals, while Breeland was waived back in December.
The team could always explore bringing Peterson and/or Woods back into the fold depending on the price, but it’s clear they need to use the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft to focus more on the defensive side of the ball, particularly in the secondary.
Townsend spent the last three years as the defensive backs coach for the rival Chicago Bears. Unlike the Vikings, the Bears were one of the best defensive backfields in all of football with opposing quarterbacks averaging only 191.6 passing yards per game against them.
However, his time ultimately ran out in Chicago with the team bringing an end to the Matt Nagy era and hiring Matt Eberflus as the new head coach.
Now, he’ll join the same Vikings team that beat his Bears twice this season with a chance to help them turn things around in the secondary.
