Minnesota will have to rely on young talent in starting positions in order to find success next season, but what about the players who don’t start but still fulfill vital roles?
The nickel corner is not technically a starting position, despite the Vikings using the nickel package quite often. There’s also a question of depth at key positions such as wide receiver, safety, defensive line and offensive line.
There are some reserves who might never start but still play a lot of snaps. There are also some who may not get a high number of reps — until they’re called upon to start in place of an injured player. Here are five Vikings who could have one of those two aforementioned roles.
Cameron Dantzler
The cornerback went to the Vikings in the third round of the NFL Draft.
Jeff Gladney, Holton Hill and Mike Hughes all have a chance to start, but so does Dantzler. Even if he isn’t one of the two players out wide, he has a chance to fill in when necessary.
Hill and Hughes are probably more likely to start than Dantzler is, but both of those two have had trouble playing all 16 regular-season games in the past. Dantzler might be a player to step up.
Hercules Mata’afa
Mata’afa, a defensive tackle, posted a picture earlier this offseason where he weighed 289 pounds, despite being listed at 254 pounds.
I’m not sure if Mata’afa could beat out the likes of Michael Pierce and Shamar Stephen for a starting spot, but if he keeps that weight on, he could be a nice reserve option as a three-technique player, maybe even playing the one-technique as a more finesse option at that spot.
Mata’afa will be an interesting player to watch come training camp.
Josh Metellus
It’s probable that safeties Anthony Harris and Harrison Smith will be back deep for the Vikings in 2020, barring injuries or trades.
But those two can’t play every snap. Now that Jayron Kearse and Andrew Sendejo are gone, Metellus has a chance to seize a spot near the top of the depth chart at safety, and earn a good number of snaps. He will compete with Brian Cole II and Myles Dorn for playing time, though.
If Smith or Harris go down, or if the team doesn’t keep Harris around long term, then Metellus playing well could save the Vikings a lot of trouble.
Tajae Sharpe
Sharpe, a wide receiver, had just 1,167 yards in three seasons for the Titans, but he also had to deal with inconsistent quarterback play.
With Stefon Diggs gone, it seems likely that Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson will be getting a lot of reps. But Sharpe is a player with a little more NFL experience under his belt than some of the other players he’s fighting with for a spot. He might be able to play his way into more reps and put up decent numbers because of it.
Oli Udoh
Udoh might be a player that could weirdly benefit from tackle Ezra Cleveland being a quick learner. If Cleveland wins the starting tackle spot in 2020, he would possibly move Riley Reiff over to guard, or maybe the team cuts Reiff if Cleveland is good enough to play right away.
That would leave Udoh competing for the second-string tackle spot with Rashod Hill. There’s also the possibility that Udoh could switch to guard and provide depth that way.
If the Vikings run into injury problems on the offensive line next year, there’s a chance Udoh could be the player to fill in.
