Egan, Minn. – Kirk’s cousins can see it coming. At several points last season, the Minnesota Vikings quarterback said he expected a potentially large level of personnel turnover in 2023.
Two players he mentioned most were quarterback Garrett Bradbury and backup linebacker Alexander Mathison, both of whom were eligible for unrestricted free agency.
“Some of these guys,” Cousins said in December, “we’ve played together for a while, and you know it won’t last forever.”
As it turns out, Cousins was right about the Vikings’ offseason plans. But he was pleasantly surprised at the degree to which crime had been averted. The team released two longtime skill players, receiver Adam Thielen and running back Dalvin Cook, but re-signed both Bradbury and Matteson to keep the rest of the offense primarily. And after the Vikings signed free agent Josh Oliver and drafted USC receiver Jordan Addison 23rd overall in April, it’s hard to view their offense as anything other than power — even amid a widely circulated narrative that they’re in rebuilding mode.
“[Losing] “People I’ve played a lot of shots with, like Dalvin or Adam, can be a little more difficult,” Cousins said in June. But you can also point out some guys who might not have come back, like Garrett or Alex. So it’s also exciting to have a lot of stability there as well. The O-line is a group I know very well. Even if you lose Adam, you look at the receivers and feel like you’re throwing at the guys you know. with narrow ends [also]. So there is some consistency there as well, and it will always be that way. But I think we have an experienced group in attack, and that’s a really positive thing.”
After the hegemony of personnel transmission, especially surrounding the Vikings’ defence, let’s take a step back and assess what we know about their offense. The following points are based on interviews and observations during the beginner minicamp cycle, the mandatory minicamp, and three OTA sessions that were open to journalists.
Mathison would really be the better guy
Sometimes the simplest explanation is the right one. The Vikings have already traded Cook as his longtime replacement, and up to this point, all evidence suggests they will use Matteson in the same role Cook played last season on offense as head coach Kevin O’Connell.
Cook played nearly 75% of the Vikings’ offensive snaps last season, and Matteson earned 25%. No other back has received playing time except in cases of elimination.
O’Connell was fairly direct about the situation this spring, saying he’d seen Matteson “really show that kind of triple ownership that he’s been capable of for so long.” After Cook’s release was official, O’Connell added: “The next step [Mattison’s] Obviously, the career is just a little bit more consistent opportunities, which we obviously hope to provide him.”
But there is one important difference between Matteson and Cook: the explosion. Mattison has only one NFL carrier that has gone more than 24 yards, which makes the competition for the No. 2 job even more interesting.
Ty Chandler emerges as the favorite at number 2 RB
Both running backs who received second-team reps this spring—Chandler, last season’s fifth-round pick, and third-year Pro Bowl kick returner Ken Nwango—share one common trait: speed.
Chandler ran 4.38 in the 40-yard dash in 2022, and Nwangwu ran 4.32 on his pro day 2021. Test times don’t always translate into explosive plays on the field, but both players’ speed gives them a chance to be natural complements to Mattison.
From the outside, though, it appears the Vikings want Chandler to win the role, even if the competition eventually expands to include seventh-round pick DeWayne McBride, whom O’Connell referred to during the minicamp as a “rookie.”
The Vikings drafted Chandler largely because they were excited about his versatility in the passing game, but he’s been a surprisingly effective runner during the 2022 preseason. When asked this spring if Chandler was ready to move up the depth chart after spending most of his rookie season on the reserves Injured, offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said, “I think he should be.” Phillips went on to add, “Ty is clearly a great athlete. [That’s] The reason we brought him here. … Ty is the guy we keep giving opportunities in both the running and passing game. … It’s getting better every day.”
TE Josh Oliver will play the passing role in the game
Don’t be fooled by the assumption that the Vikings only signed Oliver as a tight end behind starter TJ Hawkinson. Yes, Oliver has a huge frame for the job. Although his listed weight is 258 pounds, his actual weight is over 270 pounds, according to Phillips.
Oliver proves a huge mismatch in the passing game during OTAs, especially in the red zone. When asked what Oliver could offer the offence, Phillips laughed and said, “Did you see the guy?”
On one occasion, Phillips said, Oliver turned a red zone goal into a basketball, punching a linebacker, extending his arms 33 inches and ripping the ball with his 10-inch hands.
“The interesting thing is that coming out [in the draft]He was more than just a passing player, Phillips said. When this train rolls around, it’s just a hard cover because of its size and long catch radius.”
Hockenson will be the Vikings’ tight end target, but Oliver will have to be more than a designated blocker.
Wide receiver rotation seems obvious, but…
As the Vikings prepared to draft Addison, O’Connell referred to it as “the start of day one,” as captured in a social media video produced by the Vikings Entertainment Network. Addison was expected to be part of the team’s three wide receivers along with Justin Jefferson and KJ Osborne.
Unfortunately, the Vikings never got a chance to see this arrangement during spring practices. Addison suffered what O’Connell called a “minor” injury during junior camp and sat out the rest of the spring. As a result, it is difficult to predict whether Addison will be able to challenge Osborn in playing time at two receivers.
What can be said is that in the absence of Addison and Jefferson, who skipped the volunteer portion of the offseason program, one player has caught his eye: 2022 sixth-round pick Jalen Naylor. There’s no reason yet to believe Nailor will be part of any three-receiver combinations, but he’s a smooth road runner who has capitalized on what’s been a redshirt season in 2022. He also happens to be the Vikings’ fastest receiver — Thielen nicknames him “Speedy.” Last season – and if nothing else he should provide competent depth in case injuries lay ahead on the depth chart.