By the time the Wilfs had made the call to fire the GM, most fans seemed happy to move on. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah made his fair share of mistakes while leading the Vikings’ front office.
Looking at the starters for the Vikings front seven, though, might lead to some praise for the former top executive.
Mr. Adofo-Mensah is a smart guy who works hard. His path toward becoming a leading NFL executive was unusual; as so many now know, Adofo-Mensah went through an academic journey before then getting involved in investing on Wall Street. After these stops, the math nerd got into the NFL. He sometimes made befuddling decisions and I’ve been among those to articulate criticisms. What about some praise?
As things stand, it’s hard not to be impressed with the work he did building the Vikings’ defensive line and linebackers.
The Vikings’ Front Seven is a Kwesi Success Story
Earlier in the week, I pointed out on social media that Minnesota’s best defenders — edge rusher Dallas Turner, defensive tackle Jalen Redmond, and linebacker Blake Cashman — all got added in the Kwesi Adofo-Mensah era.
Many people shared feelings. Quite often, unkind words alongside unusual variations in spelling and syntax got used. Still others made more legitimate comments, pointing to the brilliance of DC Brian Flores as key to what’s taking place on defense.
People are likely to keep being critical of many of the Kwesi Adofo-Mensah misses, but that’s not the point here. Instead, consider the Vikings front seven alongside when and how they got added.
- Edge Rusher — Andrew Van Ginkel, 2024 FA Signing
- Edge Rusher — Dallas Turner, 2024 1st-Round Pick
- Defensive Tackle — Jalen Redmond, 2024 Summer UDFA Tryout
- Defensive Tackle — Levi Drake Rodriguez, 2024 7th-Round Pick
- Defensive Tackle — Ty Ingram-Dawkins, 2025 5th-Round Pick
- Linebacker — Blake Cashman, 2024 FA Signing
- Linebacker — Eric Wilson, 2025 FA Signing
So, Adofo-Mensah has his fingerprints all over the cluster of talent that is perhaps most responsible for the 2-0 start in 2026. Each one of these players was a Kwesi move. The only variation is whether there was a draft pick used or a deal in free agency.
Jalen Redmond, for instance, is a great story of finding a diamond in the rough. Former team executive Ryan Grigson uncovered him initially, bringing him to Adofo-Mensah. Since then, Redmond has proven himself to be the clear-cut DT1 as somebody working toward a major payday.
Among that crew up top, a clear trend is that very good players got added for value.
That Andrew Van Ginkel deal? Fantastic. Very likely, Flores should get credit for identifying and luring the edge rusher to the Twin Cities, but the GM is the one who put the finishing touches on the initial two-year deal for just $20 million. That’s insane value.
Blake Cashman signing for three years at $22.5 million was an instance of highway robbery. Ditto for getting Levi Drake Rodriguez in the 7th and Ty Ingram-Dawkins in the 5th. Fill-in GM Rob Brzezinski extended Eric Wilson back in March for medium money, but he initially got signed on a single-season deal worth just $2.6 million, per Over the Cap. That’s some nifty business from the former GM.
Of the starting players in the Vikings front seven, Dallas Turner represents the priciest add and it’s not particularly close. Truth be told, the third-year edge rusher still has a long way to go before justifying the amount of picks it cost to trade up to pick him at No. 17.
But then there’s the upside he has shown in the ’26 season. Turner has become a terror who now knows how to turn his speed into power. Climbing up to 3 sacks and 11 quarterback hits in just two games is insane production, especially when placed against the broader amount of pressure he has generated.
Tomorrow afternoon, the Vikings front seven will get another tough test. Veteran quarterback Baker Mayfield isn’t as talented as Jordan Love or Caleb Williams but he boasts more experience. Quite possibly, he’s a tougher competitor, too.
Rattling the Bucs’ QB1 won’t be easy. If, however, Coach Flores keeps finding a way to ignite his defensive line and linebackers, then the Vikings boast a very good chance of getting to 3-0.
Give Kwesi Adofo-Mensah credit for building up an impressive collection of defenders.