A major theme this season has been the Vikings' patience with their 2026 rookie class . While those rookies are growing and developing, the Purple and Gold have relied on their more experienced players on the roster to be major contributors.
That philosophy has had an interesting impact on first-round pick Caleb Banks and third-round pick Domonique Orange, who were selected to eventually replace last year's starters -Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave-after they were both released back in the offseason.
Former United Football League standout Jalen Redmond is having a fantastic season on Minnesota's defensive line and played 54 of Minnesota's 59 defensive snaps in Week 7. Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins had the next most defensive line snaps, playing 46 reps.
Banks and Orange played 12 and 13 defensive snaps, respectively, in Sunday's victory over the Colts . Since the Vikings are bringing them along slowly, the lower snap counts make sense from a development perspective.
However, Banks limped off the field against the Colts after being down and did not return to action. If he is forced to miss time with that injury, this could be an opportunity for "Big Citrus" to set more defensive work against the Lions in Week 8.
Orange has played 91 defensive snaps this year for Minnesota. Although he participates on special teams as well, he has four tackles this season, with one of those being for a loss against the Packers in the season opener. His 42.9 defense grade on Pro Football Focus is far from ideal , but three of his last four performances were higher than that mark. He's also averaged a run-defense grade of 57.4 in the last games after averaging 46.1 in the first two.
Domonique Orange is slowly showing improvements with each passing game this season. Are the Vikings ready to unleash him? | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Assuming he doesn't play on Sunday, the 15.7 defensive snaps that Banks averages per game could be up for grabs.
Some of those could go to Orange, and if he can get about 25 defensive snaps against the Lions on Sunday, it could show how much he has developed since joining the team. That would be his career-high defensive snap count, besting his 24 reps against the Bears in Week 2.
The Lions run the fourth-most offensive players per game (66.3), so there should be more than enough opportunities to get on the field.
Developing Orange is even more important when looking at the long-term value of the defensive lineman. While staying on top of the NFC North or remaining undefeated is great, this team is in position to potentially be a scary playoff team, and having him as an asset to rotate into defensive coordinator Brian Flores's squad would be extremely valuable.
At only 22 years old, Orange should have a long NFL career in front of him. Getting him experience and evaluating his development in Week 8 could go a long way in preparing the young defender for a long and prosperous tenure with the Vikings.
Get Vikings On SI straight to your inbox: sign up for our free newsletter here .
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/vikings/onsi as Caleb Banks Injury Concerns Could Thrust Domonique Orange Into a Bigger Vikings' Role .
