The Minnesota Vikings made its first acquisition of the offseason late Monday night, inking Harrison Phillips to a three-year/$19.5 million deal.

Phillips is officially the first player signed under this new regime. Despite there being some new faces in the front office, having your first free agent acquisition being a defensive tackle is very Rick Spielman/Mike Zimmer.

The Vikings were one of the worst rush defenses in the NFL. They gave up on average 130.7 yards per game, which was good for 26th. There were plenty of injuries on the defensive line, so that plays a factor, but many teams had their way with the Vikings on the ground.

Plugging Phillips in the middle will help with this problem. Standing in at 6-foot-3, 305 pounds, the former Stanford Cardinal was one of the best rush defenders in the league. He finished sixth in the NFL with a run defensive grade of 79.8 according to Pro Football Focus.

That’s elite.

When the deal was announced, I was a little confused as to why. Minnesota already had two really good defensive tackles on the roster, and the Vikings are planning on switching to a 3-4 defense.

Minnesota wasn’t going to pay three defensive tackles close to $24 million.

Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press reported that Michael Pierce declined to take a pay cut, and the Vikings had then released him. By doing so, Minnesota saves approximately $6 million.

Phillips is only 26 and on a relatively cheap contract.

He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Since then. he’s recorded 1.5 sacks and 107 tackles. He’s not going to be the guy pressuring the quarterback every play, but in a 3-4, that’s not always necessary.

Minnesota will have plenty of pass rushers on the edge, which will allow him to play his game as a run stopper.

Since the Vikings released Pierce, signing Phillips ended up being a good move. He will improve the rush defense and hopefully be the first building block of this new 3-4 defense.