There was a moment during a television broadcast last season that perfectly summed up safety Josh Metellus and the impact he makes for the Vikings.

The camera panned to Metellus late in the game between the Vikings and the Las Vegas Raiders, and a graphic popped up showing every position he had played to that point last season. There were 12 positions listed, including both safety spots, every cornerback spot, every linebacker spot, and a couple of spots on the defensive line for good measure.

In total, Metellus ended up playing 1,065 snaps on defense, a massive increase for him after spending the early portion of his career as an ace on special teams. The next step for Metellus is making an even bigger impact for the Vikings.

“I’m trying to build off what I did,” Metellus said. “Just being able to sit down and watch more than a thousand snaps of myself doing the things that I love to do, I was able to understand a lot about myself and the way I play, and my role in the defense.”

His role is hard to explain because Metellus doesn’t really have a position. He was hard to keep track of during training camp at TCO Performance Center, for example, as defensive coordinator Brian Flores consistently moved him all over the field. Asked what more Metellus could do on defense, Flores smiled and responded, “You got an hour?”

“We experimented with a lot of things with Josh last season, and he answered the bell in every way possible,” Flores said. “There’s more meat on the bone, and he wants to do it, so I’m happy to oblige.”

This is nothing new for Metellus. He has prided himself on his versatility ever since he was a star athlete at Charles W. Flanagan High School in Pembroke Pines, Fla. As an offensive player for most of his life growing up, Metellus has vivid memories of a particular 7-on-7 tournament during which he stepped up as a defensive player.

“Our safety went down, so I went out there and played,” Metellus said. “I did good, and I remember thinking after that like, ‘I can probably do anything on the field.’ It’s always been a matter of applying myself. Just doing the work necessary to improve.”

After making a name for himself at the University of Michigan largely because of his versatility, Metellus got selected by the Vikings in the sixth round of the 2020 draft. Though he barely touched the field on defense as a rookie, Metellus recalls angling for playing time any chance he got in practice

“I was constantly out there like, ‘Oh I could play a little bit of cornerback,’ or, ‘Oh I could play some linebacker,’ ” Metellus said. “Just saying stuff and then learning as I go.”

All the while, Metellus established himself as an ace on special teams. Never mind that he wasn’t playing much on defense. He was busy turning himself into a player special teams coordinator Matt Daniels felt comfortable using in every situation.

“Just being on special teams has kind of been a rite of passage in a sense,” Daniels said. “You groom these guys on special teams and send them on their way to their expanded roles on defense.”

That finally happened for Metellus last season as he played more defense than special teams for the first time in his career.

“It’s great for Josh to be in a defense where he’s able to use his versatility,” Daniels said. “That’s really what it’s all about at the end of the day. How can we maximize a player’s ability? I think Flo is doing an unbelievable job of using his strengths and trying to find a way to expose weaknesses of offenses.”

Whether he’s lining up as a safety in the deep portion of the field, bumping down and playing cornerback in the slot, or blitzing off the edge once the ball is snapped, Metellus has become a jack of all trades for the Vikings who is slowly starting to master all of them.

“It’s never too much for Josh,” fellow safety Cam Bynum said. “He’s so smart, and that gives him the ability to do as much as he has been able to do. It all starts with his knowledge of the game, and then he’s able to go out there and he’s a phenomenal athlete on top of that. Just a crazy good player.”

Maybe the scariest part for the rest of the NFL is the fact that Metellus joked that he barely knew what he was doing last season.

“I was going off instincts because everything was new to me,” Metellus said. “Now it’s about getting down to the little techniques, because I know that can make everything that much better.”

Minnesota Vikings safety Josh Metellus (44) breaks up a pass intended for Chicago Bears wide receiver Darnell Mooney during the first half of an NFL football game, Monday, Nov. 27, 2023, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

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