1 Vikings Defender Was a Heat-Seeking Missile Versus the Ravens

Blake Cashman had a nice day at the office. He did so from within the added scrutiny of playing against the Baltimore Ravens in the first of a pair of days of joint practices.

The veteran Vikings defender is coming off a reasonably modest 2025 season. What had been a true breakout in 2024 didn’t get a full encore, partially due to injury. Mr. Cashman was said to come into camp with a minor problem but that was nowhere to be seen today. The linebacker looked like a heat-seeking missile whom Brian Flores had tasked with hunting down the football.

Vikings Defender Blake Cashman Sizzled

Seemingly every time I looked over at the Vikings’ defense, Cashman was creating a ruckus.

The linebacker is an easy mover who is going to be a key part of the mix for Coach Flores. To a certain extent, that’s to be expected given that he’s already been the green-dot ‘backer, the one to corral the play call and then relay it to teammates. That basic responsibility says much; Cashman must be somebody who works hard, understands the game well, and who has earned the trust of his coaches.

But then there’s another part of his game that goes beyond having beefy mental bandwidth (as desirable as that is).

Cashman moves well and is aggressive. He finds a way to be slippery against blockers while still offering rugged physicality. That attribute showed up on a day when he got moved all over the place. Part of what I like about watching Cashman is that sometimes his blitz is clearly aimed at setting up his teammate rather than snagging individual glory. Something to be said for that, folks.

Obviously, playing the Ravens means beginning with a focus on Lamar Jackson. The MVP at QB can then work with RB Derrick Henry, WR Zay Flowers, and TE Mark Andrews (among others) to do damage. Being able to counter at least some of that with Cashman is part of the mix. He could commonly be found in the pocket of the TE or RB.

Some insist that linebacker has been a touch devalued in recent years. Maybe that’s true since the NFL is an aerial league, making corners and edge rushers the main spots for a defense. Cashman, though, is so multiple that he’s part of the mix both as a blitzer and a coverage guy.

Last year, Blake Cashman got into action for thirteen games. His tackle total — a monstrous 144 — jumps off the stat sheet but a lot of his other numbers were down. He had 2 sacks, 3 QB hits, and 4 tackles for loss. There were a pair of passes defended.

Back in 2024, Cashman obliterated those numbers. His 112 tackles stand alongside 4.5 sacks, 11 QB hits, 8 tackles for loss, and 8 passes defended. Cashman was a monster out there. Getting him back to that level doesn’t mean fully shutting down Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs or Chicago’s Colston Loveland. What it does mean, though, is making life difficult for those key skill guys.

The Vikings defender is now working on the final year of the contract he signed back in 2024. Getting him for three years at $22.5 million was terrific work from Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. Will the new GM, Nolan Teasley, opt to extend the linebacker? Cashman’s cap charge is sitting at $9,182,353.

For a little while, I’ve insisted that the Vikings will move on after 2026 due to the presence of Eric Wilson (who also had a good day today). Since Wilson is now working under a three-year agreement, I’ve argued, next year is a natural breaking point to hand the leadership baton off to Wilson while then uplifting Jake Golday.

Maybe that’s going to occur since teams are reluctant to hand over large deals to a pair of old linebackers. Cashman, though, still has some gas in the tank. No time like the present to show that he can play a full seventeen games and do damage while in there.

Originally from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, Blake Cashman turned 30 back in May.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.