OK, so the Vikings have had a lot of turnover this offseason. That doesn’t mean 2020 will be a wash.
Vikings fans have plenty to look forward to regarding the 2020 NFL season. Whether it’s the new talent getting acclimated to the NFL or the older players improving on past seasons, the Vikings appear to at least be a contender for a playoff position.
Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman are both entering contract seasons. The two will have to likely put a winning product on the field, or at least a team that shows a lot of progress, in order to stay around.
Here are five positives for the Minnesota Vikings headed into the 2020 NFL season.
Kirk Cousins has found a system fit
Cousins looked shaky under John DeFilippo’s system, but it seemed like the quarterback found his stride under Kevin Stefanski.
You could argue that Stefanski leaving makes this a negative for the Vikings, but Gary Kubiak getting promoted to offensive coordinator means that the system will probably be more or less the same.
Stefanski emphasized play-action passes and a run-first offense. I don’t see that offensive style changing, and I can see Cousins staying where he’s at in terms of performance for 2020.
The young cornerbacks could be better
Cornerbacks Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander are gone. Now, we get to see young players enter into bigger roles, players who might even make up a better cornerback corps than before.
Mike Hughes and Holton Hill have both been good when they’re on the field. There’s also rookies Jeff Gladney, Cameron Dantzler and Harrison Hand. You can’t forget about Kris Boyd and Nate Meadors, either.
Those players will be fun to watch and based on how Rhodes played at times last season, someone like Hughes, Hill or Gladney has a chance to be better.
The Vikings still have two of the best safeties in the NFL
One of the reasons the Vikings’ cornerbacks could be quick learners is that Minnesota has two of the top safeties in the league.
Anthony Harris and Harrison Smith are now both under contract, after Harris signed his franchise tender this offseason.
Those two showed that the Vikings could have one of the best coverage units in the NFL, despite below average corner play at times. PFF ranked the Vikings coverage unit third. With Harris and Smith back deep once again, I don’t expect too much of a drop off.
Dalvin Cook is still Dalvin Cook
Cook is coming off a season where he tallied 1,135 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2019, which were career highs for him. Cook has proven he can be good when he’s healthy. He missed two games in 2019 and still put up those numbers.
If Cook can stay on the field, the sky is the limit for the Vikings offense.
Michael Pierce has a chance to be really good
The Vikings signing Pierce grabbed headlines pretty early in the offseason, but it almost seems like the signing has flown under the radar after the NFL Draft.
Pierce showed he could be a threat to stop the run and clog up holes with the Ravens. He could very well have more reps with the Vikings, too. Pierce played mostly from 26-55 snaps for Baltimore.
In many of his games, he fluctuated around 30 snaps. I could see him playing more if he can handle it, and help clear the way for other defensive linemen like Danielle Hunter and Ifeadi Odenigbo.
