Everything is coming together for Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell as he continues adding to his growing coaching staff.
On Monday, the team confirmed the hiring of Wes Phillips as offensive coordinator and Matt Daniels as special teams coordinator, which have both already been reported on.
However, they also announced they were bringing back Daronte Jones as the defensive backs coach, along with the hiring of Ben Kotwica as an assistant special teams coach and Mike Smith as the outside linebackers and pass rush specialist.
These are exciting times for a Vikings team looking to kick-start a new era under their Super Bowl-winning head coach.
The #Vikings have added 5 coaches to Kevin O'Connell's staff
• Matt Daniels, Special Teams Coordinator
• Daronte Jones, Defensive Backs
• Ben Kotwica, Assistant Special Teams
• Wes Phillips, Offensive Coordinator
• Mike Smith, Outside Linebackers/Pass Rush Specialist— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) February 21, 2022
Jones served as a defensive backs coach for the Vikings during the Mike Zimmer era in 2020 before being offered a job as defensive coordinator for LSU. After a one-and-done season, he’s back in purple and ready to resume his role with the team.
Kotwica’s last job was a two-year stint with the Atlanta Falcons as special teams coordinator before he was ultimately fired in 2020. It’s important to note that he was with the Washington Commanders at the same time O’Connell was there as the quarterbacks coach and pass game coordinator. So there’s clearly some familiarity there with the Vikings head coach.
And Smith, the former Green Bay Packers outside linebackers coach, is joining O’Connell with the added responsibility as a pass rush specialist. So the opportunity for a promotion after coaching the same position for the last four years had to be enticing for the former NFL linebacker.
We’ll see if it all pays off in the 2022 season.
