Vikings: Is Camryn Bynum the future starting safety?
The Minnesota Vikings have three good safeties in Camryn Bynum, Harrison Smith and Xavier Woods. While Bynum will finish the year on the bench, it looks like he could become the team’s future starting safety.
Bynum is a fourth-round pick out of the University of California. He registered nine snaps before making his first career start in Week 9 after Smith was placed on the COVID-19 list.
One would argue that replacing Smith, a five-time Pro Bowler, should be near impossible. As hard as it is to believe, Bynum was as good, if not better.
PFF Grades:
- Smith: 7 Games, 74.2 Defensive, 73.2 Rush Defense, 90.8 Tackling, 56.1 Pass Rush, 75.0 Coverage
- Bynum: 4 Games (2 starts), 90.5 Defensive, 84.7 Rush Defense, 88.9 Tackling, 66.6 Pass Rush, 84.7 Coverage
It was only two starts, but Bynum stepped up and exceeded expectations. The Vikings had their hands full with Lamar Jackson and Justin Herbert, and seeing how well Bynum played against two elite quarterbacks is just the icing on top of the cake.
In two starts, Bynum recorded a sack and interception.
So what does this mean for Smith, Woods and Bynum?
It’s hard to see the Vikings trading Smith after they just extended him for another four years. There’s little to no reason to move on from him because he’s still playing at a high level.
The most likely scenario will be moving on from Woods at the end of the season. The 26-year-old safety signed a one-year deal with Minnesota, and he’ll likely be on the verge of a nice payday. He’s young and is in the midst of a career year. The Vikings are pressed up against the cap, and it’ll be tough for them to re-sign him.
If you’re Minnesota, you can’t make any rash decisions based on two starts. It would be shit if they went forward with Bynum based on two games, and he doesn’t turn out to be the player they were expecting.
The Vikings are in a difficult position. Bynum could become their future starting safety at a much cheaper price, but they also have two good safeties in Smith and Woods.
Minnesota will have to find ways to get Bynum on the field so they can make serious financial decisions this offseason. If the season ended today, it looks like they’ve found a stud in the fourth round. Keep a close eye on this situation because I have a feeling it’s going to get very interesting.
Andrew, Very good article about a very interesting topic. I would like to reemphasize a couple points you made. 1) Bynums PFF grade was 90.4, which is top in the NFL, better than the 63 other talented starters and all the backups. That says a ton. 2) Two games in the NFL is 2 NFL games. Its not NCAA. 3) Jackson and Herbert are truly elite. Lamar Jackson is a former pro bowl quarterback and Justin Herbert was the rookie of the year last year. 4) The poor guy is a converted cornerback. 5) The safetfy position room is so strong and the cornerback room not so strong, they should be creative more frequently and play cover 3, best players on the field and it is more of a unique look. Smith can move around like a monsterback creating chaos at the, blitz or runblitz. Would love to see what happened on the 6 plays they played cover 3 against the CHEESE.
Appreciate it! I think that’s an interesting idea that could benefit the Vikings long-term. Mike Zimmer is smart enough defensively that I think he can make that work. I love Smith, and Woods has been great for the most of the season. If Bynum plays like this most weeks, then they have a very good safety room.