Minnesota solidified some roster spots after a record-breaking 15 picks in the recent NFL Draft.
The Vikings drafted players who can hopefully come in and start right away, given the team’s free agency departures.
However, the Vikings will still have to answer these three questions before the start of the 2020 NFL Season in order to find success.
Will Justin Jefferson replace Stefon Diggs?
This offseason, Minnesota lost its leading receiver from 2019 when the team traded away Stefon Diggs for draft picks. The Vikings drafted a wide receiver in the first round — LSU’s Justin Jefferson — who could replace some of the production Diggs left behind.
The Vikings still have their leading receiver from 2016-18: Adam Thielen. He saw a drop off in his numbers last season after suffering a hamstring injury and playing in just 10 regular season games. However, Thielen seemed to hit a stride towards the end of the season, like when he had 129 receiving yards in a playoff game against the Saints.
Diggs had 1,130 receiving yards and six touchdown catches in 2019. If Thielen can stay healthy, he can help replace Diggs, but it’s going to likely take more than just Thielen.
Besides Thielen and Jefferson, Minnesota also has Bisi Johnson, Chad Beebe and free agency signing Tajae Sharpe, all of whom can be a by-committee answer to the Diggs problem. If Thielen stays on the field, Jefferson has a big rookie year and some wide receivers step into bigger roles than what they’re used to, the Vikings won’t drop off in the passing game. Not all of those are givens, though. That means there will be some uncertainty at wide receiver heading into the 2020 season.
What is Anthony Harris’ long-term future?
Safety Anthony Harris was franchise tagged by the Vikings this offseason, so it will be interesting to see whether Minnesota and him work out a new deal down the road, or if Harris isn’t in the long-term plan.
Harris and the Vikings have reportedly been in discussions over a long-term deal, but there has been no official announcement yet.
Harris is coming off a season where he had six interceptions, tied for an NFL best. He also had 11 pass deflections. Both his interception and pass deflection numbers were career bests, as Harris went from nine starts in 2018 to starting 14 games in 2019.
However, the team already has safety Harrison Smith, who hasn’t missed a Pro Bowl since 2014. The Vikings also have a lot of veteran players who require large contracts.
Harris has worked his way up the Vikings depth chart, and had one of the more productive seasons at safety in 2019. Will the Vikings want him to stay, or do they think it’s time to move on? Right now, it’s unclear.
What will the team do about running back Dalvin Cook?
Running back Dalvin Cook reportedly plans to participate in the Vikings’ virtual offseason program, which wouldn’t catch headlines had it not been for his current contract situation.
Cook is coming off a season where he rushed for 1,135 yards and 13 touchdowns, both of which were career highs. Based on those stats, Cook is quite the bargain for the Vikings, earning just over $1.7 million in 2019.
Cook’s contract runs out after the 2020 season, and the Vikings will have a decision to make: extend him and risk spending too much money on a running back, or let him walk and move on without a big part of the offense.
A lot of teams have learned the hard way when it comes to giving big extensions to running backs. The most recent example has been the Los Angeles Rams, which gave Todd Gurley a four-year, $60 million extension in 2018, only to cut him this offseason.
If Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey — who signed a four-year, $64 million extension recently — is any indication of the current market for running backs, the Vikings will have to give Cook a lot of money.
Cook has had injury problems in the past, too. He has missed 19 games in just three seasons with the Vikings. When he’s been healthy, he’s been good, so Minnesota will have to decide whether his risks are worth what he provides to the team.
