The Vikings have one of the better wide receivers in the NFL in Adam Thielen.
Thielen, who once went back and forth with Stefon Diggs as the top receiver on the Vikings, will probably be the definitive No. 1 option this year after Diggs left in a trade this offseason.
Thielen is coming off a 2019 marred by a hamstring injury, but before that, he had gone for more than 1,200 receiving yards in two consecutive seasons. There’s him, then there’s rookie wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who could also step up and become the Vikings’ leading receiver in certain games.
Here are three storylines regarding the new-look wide receiver group:
Just how good will Jefferson be?
I think there’s a good chance Jefferson shows at least glimpses of talent for the Vikings in 2020.
Too bad Minnesota likely needs more than that from him if the team wants to be successful. Bleacher Report projects Jefferson to get 950 yards and six touchdowns next season. I’m not so sure that will be enough. If Jefferson has those numbers, the third wide receiver on the team will likely need to do better than Bisi Johnson and Chad Beebe did in 2019.
Jefferson will be good in the slot and at times out wide. Rookies tend to come in and not take the league by storm right away. Diggs had 1,130 yards and six touchdowns in 2019. Hopefully Jefferson can replace at least most of that production.
Who will be the wide receiver three?
Bisi Johnson and Chad Beebe were both in the third wide receiver spot in 2019, but that could change with the team’s recent additions.
The Vikings signed Tajae Sharpe as a free agent. They drafted Jefferson and K.J. Osborn. They also signed undrafted free agents Quartney Davis and Dan Chisena.
I think of all those players I named, Johnson has the best chance of playing as the third wide receiver the most consistently. He was sixth on the team in receiving yards last season with 294. However, the Vikings will probably rely on the third wide recevier now more than ever because of Diggs leaving, so Johnson’s stats likely won’t cut it at that spot for 2020.
Besides Johnson, I wouldn’t be surprised if Osborn, Sharpe or Davis won the third wide receiver position, with Thielen being the No. 1 and Jefferson being the No. 2.
Can Thielen bounce back from injury and be better than before?
Thielen is in a tough spot this season.
When he first came to the team, he had to work his way up the depth chart and into the starting lineup. Now, he’s the oldest wide receiver on the team.
He will have to recover from a season where he only played in 10 games, due to a hamstring injury. Sometimes injuries are hard to bounce back from, and more will be asked of Thielen than ever before now that Diggs is gone.
Thielen showed what he’s capable of against the Saints in the playoffs, where he tallied 129 yards, including a clutch over-the-shoulder catch in overtime. Kirk Cousins needs Thielen to be healthy the whole year, but also put up numbers that are at least comparable to his 2017 and 2018 seasons in order for the passing game to find success.
