Jalyn Holmes: Move to Defensive End Like Riding a Bike Again

[Viktor]

EAGAN, Minn. — The sight of the nearly 300-pound man zooming up and down the street in a Vikings helmet was surely a sight to behold.


Jalyn Holmes' pounding the pavement showed his commitment to his offseason training regimen, which was centered around a position switch from defensive tackle to defensive end.


And with most of the country shut down during the pandemic, Holmes had to improvise to make sure he got his work in.


"It was a big issue at first, just trying to get into a gym. Because I was in Ohio, a lot of things were closed so you couldn't really get access," Holmes said. "So, I had to kind of sneak around. I did a lot of cardio in my neighborhood by just running full speed up and down the street early in the morning.


And his neighbors? Surely they had a reaction to his workouts?


"Yeah, they found out [I play in the NFL]," Holmes said with a laugh. "I was out there like 7 in the morning with my helmet on, just running full speed down the street.


"They used to sometimes make jokes with me sometimes, or I could see them watch me from the window or whatever," Holmes added. "I had to do what I had to do."


The work paid off, as Holmes said he ate healthier and "got my smoothie game up over the offseason," while going from roughly 300 pounds to 277.


His offseason centered around a chat he had with Andre Patterson shortly after the Vikings playoff run came to an end in January.


Holmes, a fourth-round pick in 2018, had spent the first two seasons of his career at both defensive tackle and defensive end, the latter of which he played at Ohio State.


Patterson suggested the idea of moving Holmes back to defensive end the majority of the time, while still getting a few reps as an interior pass rusher.


"That was something we had talked about right after the season was over," said Patterson, now the Vikings Co-Defensive Coordinator and defensive line coach. "I had a long discussion with 'J,' and I told him I was going to look to put him back out there, and also still get him some reps at 3-technique.