Minnesota Vikings reportedly hiring Ed Donatell as defensive coordinator
Defensive coordinator Ed Donatell of the Denver Broncos looks on before an NFL preseason game at Lumen Field against the Seattle Seahawks on August 21, 2021 in Seattle, Washington. The Denver Broncos beat the Seattle Seahawks 30-3. ((Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images))
MINNEAPOLIS - The Minnesota Vikings haven’t officially announced their new head coach yet, but it appears they’ve found a new leader for their defense.
According to multiple reports, the Vikings are hiring Ed Donatell as the new defensive coordinator.
The news comes on the same day that co-defensive coordinator Andre Patterson is headed to the New York Giants to be the defensive line coach. Donatell, 65, has 10 years of experience as a defensive coordinator in the NFL and 31 years in coaching overall.
Donatell spent the last three seasons as the defensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos. This past season, the Broncos finished eighth in the NFL in points allowed and third in points allowed. The Vikings are coming off a 2021 season where they had the seventh-worst rushing defense in the NFL, and gave up more than 100 points during the season in the final two minutes of the first half or regulation.
It will be Donatell’s fourth stint as a defensive coordinator, having also run defenses in Green Bay and Atlanta before Denver.