The Minnesota Vikings fired defensive coordinator Ed Donatell on Thursday, an unsurprising decision even after winning 13 games in the first year of coach Kevin O’Connell’s tenure.
The team did not immediately name a replacement. In a statement, O’Connell said in part: “We will immediately begin our search to fill this critical role as we continue to build a championship standard for the Minnesota Vikings.”
Although they won the second-most regular season games in team history, the Vikings’ defense was one of the worst in franchise history. It finished the season ranked No. 28 in points allowed (25.1) and No. 31 in yards allowed (388.7). On Sunday, the New York Giants gashed the Vikings for 31 points and 431 yards, including five scoring drives of at least 75 yards and a total of 18 plays that gained 10 or more yards.
Donatell’s future had been in question since Week 14, when O’Connell said publicly that he was considering all options to improve the defense other than changing schemes entirely. When asked if he would make staff changes, or tap a new defensive play-caller, O’Connell said he wasn’t considering that option “as of right now.”
O’Connell hired Donatell in part for his connection to the 3-4 scheme popularized by longtime NFL defensive coach Vic Fangio, most recently the Denver Broncos’ head coach from 2019-21. Donatell served as Fangio’s defensive coordinator in Denver and also coached with him at previous stops with the Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers.