https://vikesnow.com/analysis/2026/brian-flores-blake-cashman-coach-on-field-vikings/

Brian Flores Says One Vikings Veteran Has Basically Become a Coach on the Field

Blake Cashman enters Year No. 3 with the Minnesota Vikings, and according to his boss, defensive coordinator Brian Flores, Cashman is just another coach on the field – – quite the praise for the Eden Prairie native.

Flores spoke to the media on Wednesday, and among a handful of topics, he touched on Cashman’s evolving leadership role.

Cashman’s Voice Is More Important Than Ever

Cashman = An Extension of the Coaching Staff

Flores needs coaches on the field, especially with Harrison Smith not on the roster as of mid-August.

“Blake’s always been a great communicator since we’ve had him. And really since he’s gotten more comfortable within the system, he’s even a little bit like a coach on the field in the sense of, ‘Hey, you do this really well.’ When we run a game, you should win with power versus finesse or speed,” Flores said Wednesday.

Cashman now knows Flores’ system inside and out, so much so that he’s actively teaching, showing each lineman how to hit blocks and helping his teammates understand the defense’s strategy. It’s important because the linebacker position already acts as the go-between for the Vikings’ defensive line and secondary. It appears Cashman has transitioned from merely communicating to educating.

Vikings’ Young Defensive Front Makes That Role Even More Valuable

This offseason, Minnesota has said sayonara to the aforementioned Smith (for now), defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard, and cornerbacks Jeff Okudah. Rookies like Caleb Banks, Jake Golday, Domonique Orange, Jakobe Thomas, and Charles Demmings have taken center stage.

Flores on his young players needing guidance: “I’ve seen improvement from that entire group, but those two specifically. Just putting in work, whether it’s pre-practice routines, post-practice routines, just constantly being sponges to the veteran guys at all positions, and then improving in their techniques and fundamentals.”

“It’s hard to play D-line in the National Football League. We’ll really see more of what this is in-game. But based off what we’ve seen, they’re moving in the right direction.”

Cashman is taking on this responsibility, while Flores repeatedly emphasized that rookies need time to learn the NFL’s techniques and routines. Instead of all that information flowing from coach to rookie, Minnesota has veterans like Cashman reinforcing it between snaps and in the film room. That could accelerate the development of a defensive front Minnesota will need sooner rather than later.

Teaching Flores’s Most Important Defensive Principle

The most compelling aspect of Flores’s response was that Cashman isn’t coaching teammates to pursue individual statistics; instead, he’s teaching team defense. Flores’s point was that if every player handles their assignment, Minnesota can’t always predict who will achieve the sack, tackle, stop, or turnover – – but a player should be in a position to make that play.

Cashman understands the entire mechanism well enough to explain to a defensive lineman how that player’s technique affects everyone else. That’s far more consequential than simply being vocal before the snap.

Flores opined, “We preach team defense really day after day, really every day. And so I think Blake understands that if everybody’s handling their responsibility, doing their job, we don’t know who’s going to make the play, but normally somebody’s in good position, and then hopefully they make it.”

Last month, Flores was asked if outside linebacker Dallas Turner needed a “breakout” season with Greenard off the roster. He replied with an answer that emphasized team defense rather than Turner’s need to morph into a Pro Bowler. Through players like Cashman, the team-first edict outweighs the individual.

The Preseason Test on Saturday

Flores’s boss, Kevin O’Connell, also talked to media members this week, announcing that the Vikings would “play their guys.” While it’s unclear if the superstars like Justin Jefferson will see action on Saturday, Cashman should see the field against the New York Giants.

It’ll be his first semi-formal step in teaching the rookies listed above, as the preseason is generally a playground for first-year players.

It’s worth noting that 2026 is a contract year for Cashman, so he’ll have even more to prove as Flores’s defensive anchor.

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VikesNow Verdict: Flores trusts Cashman to teach the defense while playing it, an especially useful trait for a younger Minnesota front. In a contract year, Cashman has a chance to prove he’s damn near indispensable.