The Minnesota Vikings were one of the most active teams in free agency and the draft this offseason — continuing the makeover of their defense as well as making changes at key positions on offense.
With the launch of the NFL regular season just days away, how did it all shake out? Here’s a look at three potential areas of concern for the Vikings entering 2024.
Areas of Concern Facing Vikings in 2024
Getting Pushed Around Inside by Defensive Tackles
The good news is all five starters along the Vikings’ offensive line are returning players from last year’s squad. The not-so-great news, as it pertains to improving the rushing attack, is the three interior members of the group were liabilities.
Blake Brandel, Garrett Bradbury, and Ed Ingram, the starters from left guard to right guard, respectively, did not fare well. None of them were included in Pro Football Network’s NFL Top 100 List. Two of the three preferred backups to this group aren’t reliable, either, with veteran guard Dalton Risner on short-term injured reserve and the backup center being a rookie seventh-round pick in in Michael Jurgens.
Look no further than results from last season for confirmation that this is a potential weak spot for Minnesota. The Vikings finished tied for 31st with just 79 first downs via the rush and had only five runs of 20+ yards and no runs of 40+ yards.
The production was so inconsistent and lackluster that head coach Kevin O’Connell, who calls plays, dialed up the fifth-fewest runs in the NFL with only 393 called versus 631 called passes (fourth-most). A league-high 73.7% of Minnesota’s offensive yards last season came through the air; the league average was 66%.
The Vikings’ interior will be challenged early and often in 2024. It starts this upcoming Sunday, when they will square off against two-time second-team All-Pro Dexter Lawrence, and then continues in Week 2 when they face the San Francisco 49ers DT tandem of Maliek Collins and Javon Hargrave.
Rapidly Rebuilt Cornerback Depth Chart vs. Talented Receivers on Schedule
It’s another good-news/bad-news situation for the Vikings at cornerback. The bad news is Minnesota’s talent and depth were decimated by tragedy and injury in the past two months, with fourth-round pick Khyree Jackson’s passing over the summer and then a season-ending injury to second-year starter Mekhi Blackmon on the first day of training camp.
The good news is the Vikings moved decisively to shore up the situation by signing free agents Bobby McCain, Fabian Moreau, and Stephon Gilmore. Plus, Shaq Griffin was added in March and figures to hold down one of the starting positions.
Still, though, one of the starters (Gilmore) and one of the key depth pieces (Moreau) have been with the club for less than five weeks. And in the next five, there is a series of game-breaking wide receivers on the schedule, including former Vikings star Stefon Diggs in Week 3.
In the two weeks prior to Diggs’ Minnesota return, the Vikings’ secondary will be charged with containing the New York Giants’ Malik Nabers and San Francisco’s Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel. After Diggs and Nico Collins come to town, Minnesota travels to Green Bay to square off against Jordan Love’s deep crop of pass catchers, and then it’ll be Aaron Rodgers throwing to Mike Williams and Garrett Wilson in Week 5.
One factor working in the Vikings’ favor in all of this is the pass rush. While Danielle Hunter left town via free agency, the front office was aggressive in replacing him by signing Andrew Van Ginkel away from the Miami Dolphins and Jonathan Greenard away from Houston. They followed that up by drafting the class’ top-rated edge rusher, Dallas Turner, in the first round.
Even still, there’s no denying the Vikings’ secondary will have its hands full both learning to play together in addition to figuring out how to play against some top-flight pass catchers.
Stopping the Run
The Vikings didn’t have a problem stopping the run in 2023. They ranked eighth in rushing yards allowed (1,678) and tied for fourth in yards per carry allowed (3.8). So what’s the concern?
It’s not 2023 anymore. And two of the Vikings’ better weapons against the run from a season ago are playing elsewhere in 2024. Jordan Hicks signed with the Cleveland Browns this offseason, and defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga is now a member of the Arizona Cardinals.
Also, starting nose tackle Harrison Phillips is a season older.
While it’s easy to argue Minnesota improved its pass-rushing prowess over the offseason, it’s not as clear-cut that the additions via the draft and free agency will allow the Vikings to sustain success against the run.
Blake Cashman was signed to start at one of the inside linebacker spots, and DT Jerry Tillery was also added. Both come from respectable run defenses over the past two seasons in Houston and Las Vegas, respectively. After those two, however, the talent and depth drops off significantly.
The Vikings must hope their defensive production against the opponents’ run game doesn’t also drop, otherwise all the improvements made to the pass-rushing unit will go for not.
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