Vikings

Where Is the Vikings’ Best Depth?

Photo Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Injuries are a sad reality in football. The game would be much more fun to watch if we could turn injuries off like a kid on their PlayStation, but medical science hasn’t advanced that far yet.

The game we love is a war of attrition, and the teams that make it to the end often do so because of either great injury luck or incredible depth. And since history has proven that luck is no friend to the Minnesota Vikings, depth is likely going to be the difference-maker if they have any hopes of playing football deep into January.

And Kwesi Adofo-Mensah knows this well. Even with Kirk Cousins‘ reputation for being an ironman as a starter (COVID-19 notwithstanding), Adofo-Mensah looked at the play of Minnesota’s prospective QB2 candidates and made the wise decision to look outside the organization. His decision to trade for Nick Mullens proved that this organization wants to win this season. They needed competent insurance for Cousins if he misses a few games.

So where else on this depth chart are the Vikings set up for success? Where could they thrust a second- or third-string player into the limelight for a stretch? Are there even players who could be exciting if given that opportunity?

Great Depth: Offensive Skill Positions Are Loaded 

It may feel like cheating to group the wide receivers and running backs together, but both exemplify places where the Vikings have done a great job accruing talent.

The receivers and backs each boast a superstar among their ranks: Justin Jefferson and Dalvin Cook, respectively. In a sense, this team is still unlikely to achieve its goals if either star is out for a prolonged period of time. That said, if we’re only talking about one or both of them missing a handful of games, the established playmaking behind them is comforting.

Adam Thielen and K.J. Osborn would be a receiving duo that would be the envy of half the teams in the NFC North. Ihmir Smith-Marsette has shown strong playmaking ability this offseason and established himself as the WR4. Plus, they have a bevy of quality players still battling for one of the coveted receiving spots at the bottom of the depth chart. Bisi Johnson, Jalen Nailor, or Trishton Jackson have all flashed potential that could be exciting if the Vikings give them playing time.

Backup running back has been a source of great debate among Vikings fans this offseason, but this should only highlight the type of quality options the Vikings have in their backfield. Alexander Mattison has proven he has the durability to handle a starter’s workload. Kene Nwangwu and Ty Chandler have had fans buzzing about their potential after a few highlights plays this preseason. Cook is a superstar and has been the engine of this offense for years, but the Vikings look set up for success should he miss his seemingly inevitable two to three games this season.

Unfortunately, the tight end depth is pretty awful if Irv Smith Jr. can’t stay healthy. But can they find enough guys to succeed in 11 personnel (one tight end, one running back) for a few games? I think they’d be fine.

Solid Depth: The Defensive Line Has A Nice Rotation

The interior of Minnesota’s defensive front looks like it has a chance to be one of the biggest strengths of the squad this season. Veteran free-agent signing Harrison Phillips has looked dominant in the run game this offseason, and Dalvin Tomlinson seems to be a perfect fit in Ed Donatell’s defense, finding ways to make plays while eating up multiple gaps.

The edges are also spicy, with former Packer Za’Darius Smith and Danielle Hunter teaming up to wreak havoc as they move around the formation to find the juiciest matchup.

Behind them there are some intriguing options. We’ve seen improved play from 3-4 ends Armon Watts and Patrick Jones on the interior. Journeyman defensive tackle T.Y. McGill has been the superstar of the preseason. That said, the Vikings are still looking for answers at backup nose tackle. As they transition to this new defensive look, it appears that the second string is still mostly square pegs for this round hole.

On the edge, D.J. Wonnum has proven to be a speedy pass-rush threat and has clearly gotten stronger this offseason to hold up better in the running game. Outside of Wonnum, though, the backups to Smith and Hunter drop off pretty harshly to inexperienced players like Janarius Robinson.

It’s a position group built to have a solid rotation, but the rotation gets a bit thin when you remove a few too many pieces.

Bad Depth: The Corner Situation is Dicey

The secondary was one of the biggest sore spots for the Vikings last season. While there’s hope in 2022 with a few new pieces, this still may be their Achilles heel.

Patrick Peterson, 32, proved last season to be more than serviceable. He still has some gas in the tank. Peterson may not be my first choice to cover a speedster like Tyreek Hill going deep, but he’s got the savvy and toughness to handle the challenges in front of him.

Across from Peterson, there’s a battle at CB2 between third-year player Cameron Dantzler and rookie Andrew Booth. Dantzler’s improvement has been one of the top storylines throughout training camp. He seemed to have the edge in the position battle even before Booth’s injury in the second preseason game.

That said, the rookie will almost certainly begin the season on the second string now after missing some time with a tweaked ankle. The Vikings have hope that Booth can return soon, though, and are even putting him through reps in virtual reality to keep him on pace to contribute as early as Week 1.

You also have veteran Chandon Sullivan firmly entrenched in the slot, as he’s pretty much locked that spot down all offseason.

A starting combo of Peterson, Dantzler, and Sullivan is far from terrible. It’s also not exactly ideal, either, and the depth gets even more untested behind them.

Kris Boyd has had a solid preseason going into his fourth year, but he’s still largely untested in the regular season. I’m rooting for rookie Akayleb Evans about as much as any player on this roster. But he’s still definitely a rookie and has looked like one this preseason. And Parry Nickerson is going to need to make a big impression in the coming weeks just to avoid final cuts.

Not only are the Vikings going to need improved play from their starters at corner, but they also need to keep them in bubble wrap.

Quick Hitters

The offensive line is not what I’d call deep, but they at least now have bodies to throw at the problem in a pinch. Austin Schlotmann and Chris Reed are quality backups. Oli Udoh has been a polarizing player, but he has experience in multiple spots. Can they sustain a rash of injuries? No. But we’ve certainly seen worse around these parts.

The safety group has a high-end rotation with shallow depth. Harrison Smith is a star, and Cam Bynum and Lewis Cine make for a fun combo to rotate opposite Smith. However, do I love the idea of Josh Metellus or Myles Dorn playing significant minutes if two of the three top safeties go down? No, I do not.

Linebacker is a mixed bag. I love Jordan Hicks and Eric Kendricks as the starters, and I’m very intrigued by the rookie firecracker in Brian Asamoah. Troy Dye, Blake Lynch, and Chazz Surratt have not shown enough to make me feel confident in them playing a significant rotational role, though, much less being called on to start.

Final Thoughts

The Vikings’ organization put this roster together as best they could to remain competitive while clearly needing to rebuild their depth. Ultimately, I think the results are admirable for Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s first offseason construction project. The early returns from this rookie class are promising, and most of the veteran players will be contributors or provide quality depth. It’s not a roster that could sustain a plague of injuries, but there are some exciting players who could seize the limelight this season if given the opportunity.

There’s reason for cautious optimism for Vikings fans. There aren’t many positions where a critical injury would make us feel like the sky is falling.

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