Minnesota is coming off a season where it went 10-6 and won a playoff game, but there’s still room for improvement if the team doesn’t want to take a step back in 2020.
The offensive line has come a long way since 2018, helping Dalvin Cook have a career year, and helping Kirk Cousins adjust to the Vikings offense better than he did in year No. 1. However, the team released Josh Kline, and there were some offensive linemen who struggled from time to time despite the Vikings’ success.
That means there are likely some new players on the offensive line in 2020, and some old ones who are going to have to get better.
There are also free agency losses at defensive back and defensive line. The team traded wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Bills for draft picks, too.
Here are some candidates who I think have the potential to improve in 2020.
C Garrett Bradbury
The Vikings drafted Bradbury in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, and his rookie year didn’t always go as planned.
He looked erratic at times, especially against Green Bay and San Francisco, two teams that are very good at bringing pressure in the passing game. But a year under his belt in the NFL can go a long way, and Bradbury wasn’t exactly dominated by defensive linemen in his first season.
A year of lifting and learning the system better, mixed with the fact that Minnesota could draft a talented offensive lineman in one of the earlier rounds of the draft this season, could make a big difference.
LB Anthony Barr
According to Pro Football Focus, Barr was the second-highest graded player at his position in 2015, earning a score of 89.6 out of possible 100.
However, the Vikings linebacker has fallen off since then, being less effective in bringing pressure and in pass coverage. Some of that might be contributed to the mediocre play by Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes as of late.
If Minnesota can draft a good corner and retain Anthony Harris long term, Barr could have some pressure taken off in the passing game and possibly improve because of it.
WR Bisi Johnson
Johnson wasn’t bad by any means with the Vikings in 2019, but based off the depth at wide receiver right now, he could be looking at a breakout year.
Sure, the Vikings could draft a wide receiver earlier, who could play next to Adam Thielen in the passing game, but I think Johnson was serviceable as a rookie in 2019 with 294 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Now that Diggs, the Vikings’ leading receiver in 2019, is gone, that means Johnson can possibly step into a bigger role.
Even if Minnesota drafts a rookie, it will probably take a village to replace Diggs. I wrote about that here.
