The season is coming. The DNA of Sports editorial team offers you an update on the strengths and weaknesses of the 32 franchises. Today, the Minnesota Vikings. You can find all the presentations by clicking on this link.
Well on their way to playing spoilsport in the NFC, the Vikings saw their 2023 season end at the end of October on the Packers' pitch.
Negative balance sheet, no playoffs, Minnesota found itself on vacation earlier than expected. The big maneuvers of the offseason could then begin. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah favored the change of regime.
Last season: 7 wins – 10 losses, 3e from NFC North
Off-season moves
Notable Arrivals: Aaron Jones (RB), Sam Darnold (QB), Blake Cashman (LB), Jonathan Greenard (OLB), Andrew Van Ginkel (OLB), Shaquill Griffin (CB), Jerry Tillery (DT), Kamu Grugier-Hill (OLB), Duke Shelley (CB), Robert Tonyan (TE)
Re-Signings: Blake Brandel (OG), Johnny Mundt (TE), Brandon Powell (WR), Jonathan Bullard (DE), Dalton Risner (RG)
Draft: JJ MacCarthy (QB), Dallas Turner (OLB), Khyree Jackson (CB), Walter Rouse (OT), Will Reichard (K), Michael Jurgens (OL), Levi Drake Rodriguez (DL)
Notable departures: Kirk Cousins (QB), Danielle Hunter (OLB), Alexander Mattison (RB), DJ Wonnum (OLB), Marcus Davenport (OLB), KJ Osborn (WR), Dean Lowry (DE), Jordan Hicks (LB) , Nick Vigil (LB), Greg Joseph (K), Joshua Dobbs (QB), Oli Udoh (OT)
To get this Age III of the O'Connell/Adofo-Mensah era off to a good start, the Vikings have decided to regain some room to maneuver on their payroll.
Blocked for years by Kirk Cousins' contract, the Purples took the risk of letting their starting quarterback leave since 2018. Another player with a big contract, Danielle Hunter, also packed her bags. Two major players and at key positions, replaced immediately by the draft. JJ MacCarthy will have to make people forget Cousins, while Dallas Turner is expected to be the future headliner of the Purples' pass rush.
Minnesota is also trying to revive Sam Darnold. The third overall pick in the 2018 draft has never been able to establish himself as a consistent starter. The Vikings are probably giving him his last chance to prove he can be a starter in the NFL.
Very disappointing for his first season as the number 1 runner, Alexander Mattison was one of the first players to be released from his contract. He is numerically replaced by Aaron Jones. If the former Packer stays healthy, he could take the Vikings' ground game to another dimension.
Shaquill Griffin comes in to bolster a once again disappointing air coverage. Selected in the fourth round of the 2024 draft, Khyree Jackson tragically passed away in a car accident on July 6.
Minnesota Vikings 2024 All-Star Team
Attack
Quarterback: Sam Darnold – Running Back: Aaron Jones – Fullback: CJ Ham – Receivers: Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison – Tight ends: TJ Hockenson – Offensive line: Christian Darrisaw, Blake Brandel, Garrett Bradbury, Ed Ingram, Brian O'Neill
Defense
Defensive Line: Jerry Tillery, Harrison Phillips, Jonathan Bullard – Outside Linebackers: Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel – Inside Linebackers: Blake Cashman and Ivan Pace Jr – Cornerbacks: Shaq Griffin and Byron Murphy Jr – Safeties: Harrison Smith and Camryn Bynum
Minnesota Vikings 2024 Highlights
Despite the injury and despite the quarterback changes, Justin Jefferson remains one of the best receivers in the league. 1,074 yards in 10 games and second in yards gained per game (behind Tyreek Hill), Jefferson is the main nightmare for defensive coordinators facing the Vikings. With TJ Hockenson and Jordan Addison, the Minnesota quarterback has high-quality targets.
In addition to having safe targets, the purple pitcher should be well protected on the outside. Starting together since November 2021, Christian Darrisaw and Brian O'Neill have proven to be very valuable in protecting their quarterbacks. An efficiency rewarded since O'Neill is the highest paid player on the roster. His partner has just been extended until 2030.
The defense's biggest hope may be off the field. The Vikings will be able to benefit from the skills of Brian Flores for a second year. The Purple coordinator drastically improved his squad between 2022 and 2023. After moving from the 31th at 16th In terms of yards conceded, the Vikings' defense has found its colors under Flores.
The 2024 Minnesota Vikings' Weaknesses
If Sam Darnold or JJ MacCarthy can be at ease on the outside, they would do better to be attentive on the inside. For want of anything better, Minnesota continues to trust Garrett Bradbury. But the first round of the 2019 draft has still not justified the investment placed in him. Alongside him, Blake Brandel and Ed Ingram provide few guarantees. The interior of the offensive line should once again suffer.
If the defense has recovered in 2023, the cornerback position remains cursed for Minnesota. Since 2018 and the decline in Xavier Rhodes, combined with the non-confirmation of his potential by Trae Waynes, the Vikings have never found the solution. However, they have tried everything, whether through the draft with Mike Hughes or via free agency with Patrick Peterson. But the Vikings have never found, near or far, the level of air coverage of 2017, which had carried them to the NFC conference final.
What is Sam Darnold worth? Today, it is difficult to say if he can, like Geno Smith in Seattle, revive his career in Minnesota. If the Vikings have recovered Darnold from the Panthers, the season is going to be long for the Vikings. The problem is that at the moment T the former Jets has never shown reason to be optimistic for him.
X Factor: First Round Rookies
Minnesota selected in the first round of the 2024 draft the two players who should be the offensive and defensive image of the franchise in the years to come. But can they perform this year? Can JJ McCarthy be the new CJ Stroud and Dallas Turner the new Will Anderson? If the Vikings pull off a coup as great as the 2023 Texans, they could have a much more exciting season than expected.
Sam Darnold is currently the starting quarterback. But there are reports from training camp that JJ McCarthy could be the starting quarterback before Week 1.
With a trio of top-tier targets and solid tackles, the former Michigan native could hardly have dreamed of a better place to develop. Billed as one of the best pass rushers available in the draft, Dallas Turner, under Brian Flores, has everything to improve.
The Vikings will need both of their first-round picks to be ahead of their time frames to exist this year.
Player to watch: Aaron Jones (RB)
The Mattison experiment proved to be a total failure. With 1,553 yards, the Vikings had only the 29thth ground attack. Worse, only 7 touchdowns were scored on runs, including 3 by Dobbs, a quarterback. That's why Minnesota pounced on Aaron Jones, once he was released by the Packers.
At 29, Jones is coming off a complicated season. He only played in 11 games, limited by injuries. The former Packer only rushed for 656 yards, for 2 touchdowns. But the Vikings are counting on him to boost a sector that has been on a downward slope for two years.
Whoever the quarterback is, he'll need a much more productive running game than he did in 2023 to take some of the weight off the Minnesota offense this year.
The 2024 Minnesota Vikings Schedule
@Giants, 49ers, Texans, @Packers, Jets (in London), BYE, Lions, @Rams, Colts, @Jaguars, @Titans, @Bears, Cardinals, Falcons, Bears, @Seahawks, Packers, @Lions
The podcast preview
In summary
This is most likely a transition season for Minnesota. The selection of McCarthy proves that Sam Darnold is only a temporary solution. However, the roster has a lot of solid players and could pose problems for a lot of teams.
But the uncertainty over the NFL's most important position combined with a seemingly complicated schedule does not allow for optimism for Minnesota. In a formidable division, where the Lions and Packers will be favorites, the Vikings are likely to experience a second year with less than 8 wins. A situation that the franchise has not experienced since 2014.
