Minnesota is coming off a year where it went 10-6 in the regular season and won a playoff game, but if the team wants similar success, it will have to do so with a lot of new faces.
Minnesota saw Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes, Linval Joseph, Stephen Weatherly, Mackensie Alexander and others sign elsewhere in free agency. The Vikings also traded Stefon Diggs to the Bills for draft picks.
The Vikings drafted a first-round wide receiver: Justin Jefferson. He can attempt to replace Diggs.
Later in the first round, the team drafted Jeff Gladney, who can help replace Waynes, Rhodes and Alexander at corner.
So there are rookies with potential, but the Vikings have a difficult schedule, and the team doesn’t have time for the new players to go through steep learning curves.
Here are some challenges the team will have to face:
The salary cap
One of the reasons the Vikings had to replace the team’s old players with draft picks is because of Minnesota’s current salary cap situation.
Over The Cap founder Jason Fitzgerald said the Vikings are at an estimated $7.7 million in cap space based off salary projections for draft picks. If rookies do not pan out in the way that Minnesota hopes, then the team will not have the option of signing a player in free agency at the moment.
The potential of the divisional opponents
The Packers looked like they didn’t get better through the draft, but I highly doubt they got worse. The team was 13-3 last season and Green Bay’s front seven handled Minnesota’s offensive line in 2019.
Not only that, but the Vikings let an offensive lineman go in the offseason: guard Josh Kline. Minnesota drafted Ezra Cleveland, who might be good enough to play tackle right away, but it’s hard to say whether the Vikings’ offensive line truly got better. Green Bay will be a tough matchup once again.
Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky struggled in 2019, but Chicago added Nick Foles in the offseason. I’m not willing to rule out the Bears winning the division with improved play at quarterback and on special teams.
The Lions almost certainly got better through the draft. The team added Jeff Okudah, a shutdown corner from Ohio State. Detroit also took D’Andre Swift, a running back out of Georgia who could possibly add a different dimension to the offense. I don’t think the NFC North will be a cakewalk.
The uncertainties at cornerback
As I mentioned before, the Vikings saw several departures in the secondary this offseason.
Waynes and Rhodes earned a lot of reps for the Vikings in 2019. Mike Hughes and Holton Hill have both looked like starters in their brief time with the Vikings. However, those two have also both struggled to stay on the field. We’ll see if they step into the starting roles.
If not, it will have to be Gladney, Cameron Dantzler, Kris Boyd, Nate Meadors or Harrison Hand, most likely. Gladney, Dantzler and Hand are all rookies.
That’s a lot of question marks at a valuable position on the defense.
Finding the right DT to pair with Pierce
Minnesota added Pierce this offseason, who is a big-bodied, run stopping defensive tackle. He can go about replacing Joseph.
However, the other defensive tackle position has looked inconsistent at times, and I’m not sure Minnesota did enough this offseason to really change that.
Shamar Stephen, the starter in 2019, had 21 tackles and just two for a loss. He returns to the team. I think his best-suited role would be as a reserve at this point.
The team also has Jaleel Johnson, Armon Watts and draftee James Lynch. Will any of those guys step up and become a competent starter in the NFL? I guess we’re going to have to see on that one.
Spielman and Zimmer being in contract years
Vikings general manager Rick Spielman and coach Mike Zimmer are both entering the final year of their contracts.
If you look at it one way, that could be a positive for the team. Zimmer and Spielman will have pressure to put product on the field that will at least contend for a playoff spot.
But what if the team starts losing? What if the Vikings start 1-5 and their best option becomes a rebuild geared towards the draft? Would Zimmer and Spielman do that, or would they try and finish 6-10, missing out on a better draft position in an attempt to make the team look more competitive?
I think a bad start should result in Minnesota being a seller at the deadline. I’m not sure that would happen, though. I think Spielman and Zimmer would hang onto their talent for the short-term in 2020, instead of building for the long-term, regardless of the circumstances. Those two have to make the team look presentable. Here’s to hoping the Vikings have improved, rather than regressed.
