Skeptical, or on top of it.
Minnesota’s over-under win total is mostly hovering around 6 1/2. That’s what happens when you play in an ascending division, lose your starting quarterback and, frankly, have talent voids at numerous spots. Those holes leave uncertainty, but also, potentially, opportunity. Spots to surprise. Places to pluck potential advantages.
With training camp beginning later this month, why not explore some potentially odds-altering questions? Here are 10 big ones:
GO DEEPER
Offseason observations from all 32 NFL teams: Chiefs' rebuilt WR room, Kirk Cousins' impact1. Will the Vikings spend their remaining cap space?
This might be the most interesting macro Vikings question at the moment. The Vikings have about $26 million in cap space for 2024, according to Over The Cap. Will they spend that money on this year’s team, roll over most of the money into 2025 or … both?
Navigating the two worlds is probably the safe bet. A player like Robert Woods might be cut, and the Vikings could add him via free agency on a one-year contract. Similarly, Minnesota could cut a player like Lewis Cine, which would mean absorbing nearly $7 million in dead money. Make those moves, and the Vikings would be acting mostly for the present.
Alternatively, the Vikings could roll with their current roster, then move their available funds into 2025. They are already projected to have around $55 million in effective cap space for next year. A Christian Darrisaw extension would chew up some of that capital, but the Vikings don’t have other exorbitant contract obligations.
All of which brings us back to the question at hand: Should they leverage the money now or later? If the answer is somewhere in the middle, how general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah approaches that challenge will be telling.
2. Will the Vikings look to trade safety Lewis Cine?
I mentioned Cine in the first response, so why not dig deeper?
His rookie contract goes through 2025. Cut him now, and the Vikings will be on the hook for about $7 million in dead money. Wait to cut him after this season, and Minnesota still would have to absorb around $3.5 million in dead money. Cine is, at best, the sixth safety on the depth chart and has not contributed on more than 50 percent of Minnesota’s special teams snaps in either of his two seasons.
So, why would another team seek his services? It’s a fair question. It’s possible (but probably not likely) another front office, one that liked Cine ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft, would be willing to take a flier in exchange for cap space and a meaningless pick. In the end, the Vikings may simply have to weigh how valuable an extra roster spot is. Intaking $7 million makes sense if you have a budding rookie with potential — say, Gabriel Murphy — that you’d prefer not to lose.
3. Are the Vikings ready to move away from punter Ryan Wright?
Searching for reasons to be optimistic about Adofo-Mensah’s 2022 draft is like searching for a bald eagle in the wild — you’ll be looking for a long while. Good luck, sir.
Wright, whom the Vikings snagged as an undrafted free agent that year, appeared to be something in his rookie season. That year, the Tulane product ranked in the top half of all punters in most categories. Last year, however, he regressed in jarring fashion, settling near the bottom among punters in almost all meaningful metrics.
Earlier this spring, the Vikings signed Seth Vernon, a Portland State product who also went undrafted in 2022. Vernon arrived ready, impressed in organized team activities and has launched a full-on competition. Kevin O’Connell’s view might mirror his approach to the offensive line: Best man wins, prior ties be damned.
4. How many quarterbacks will the Vikings keep?
Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy are obvious members of the roster, so the number starts at two.
Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall’s circumstances are less certain. If the Vikings want an experienced veteran who could shield McCarthy in the event Darnold is injured, Mullens feels necessary. Hall, meanwhile, spun the ball well this spring. He is five years older than McCarthy (which almost feels impossible), but the Vikings appreciate his maturity.
Maybe Minnesota will try to keep Darnold, McCarthy and Mullens, while sliding Hall to the practice squad.
GO DEEPER
Vikings mailbag: When should we expect J.J. McCarthy to start at QB?5. What are the health statuses of T.J. Hockenson and Andrew Van Ginkel?
Both Hockenson and Van Ginkel jogged on ancillary practice fields during mandatory minicamp at the TCO Performance Center. Hockenson is rehabbing a torn ACL and MCL, suffered in Week 16, while Van Ginkel is returning from a Lisfranc foot injury, which occurred in January.
O’Connell has been open about both players. The Vikings don’t want to rush either player back, and they’d prefer a longer span of health over a quicker return. The early portions of training camp should provide indications as to whether either player could end up on the PUP list.
6. How comfortable is Minnesota with its No. 3 wide receiver depth?
The leaders in the clubhouse are Brandon Powell, Jalen Nailor and Trent Sherfield Sr. Is that good enough?
It depends what O’Connell wants from the position. If it’s run-blocking prowess and separation ability when opposing defenses roll the coverage toward Justin Jefferson, Powell might make sense. Nailor lacks the run-blocking talent (and a consistent string of health), while Sherfield is not a proven separator against one-on-one coverage.
Powell’s presence might be enough, but what happens if an injury occurs? For as much as Minnesota might rely on its tight end room, receiver depth is necessary. It has become harder and harder to see a world in which the Vikings do not add an external option at this position, whether it’s to start or as depth.
.@jjmccarthy09 ➡️ @Channel__10 🎯🎯 pic.twitter.com/ras0cim6Cs
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) June 7, 2024
7. Can Khyree Jackson emerge as a viable No. 3 cornerback option?
If I were to power rank the players I’m most intrigued to follow in training camp, Jackson would be up there. He missed a couple of mandatory minicamp practices with what the team termed an “illness,” which only amplified the uncertainty surrounding Jackson.
If it all goes right and the 6-foot-4 cornerback takes to Brian Flores’ defense? Who knows what his ceiling is. Oregon coach Dan Lanning described Jackson as the prototypical cornerback you’d want to create in Madden.
The flip side is the player who transferred to multiple junior colleges and could not find his footing. The Vikings need him to be the former. Even though they have optimism about Mekhi Blackmon’s progression heading into Year 2, the more Jackson can contribute, the better for the defense overall.
8. Is Blake Brandel capable of fending off Dalton Risner at left guard?
The Vikings coaching staff has touted Brandel for more than a year. Last September, offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said: “He’s a large man inside. You like to have those big, rectangular guards. You love those rectangular guys.”
How much they really love the “rectangular guys” will be evident during camp. Brandel has started five career games and Risner 73 — if O’Connell is seeking experience, this is not a fair fight. But if the Vikings are looking for upside, Brandel may have a shot.
Ultimately, O’Connell is serious when he says the best five options will play up front. No position battle will be as feisty as this one.
GO DEEPER
Who are the NFL's underrated and overrated teams? Why Packers, Bengals could be dangerous9. How will the team’s run scheme differ from last season?
The Vikings talked relentlessly last offseason about running the football more efficiently. Question was: How? The answer, it seems with hindsight, was a belief that the offensive line would improve, tight end Josh Oliver would help and Alexander Mattison would be serviceable enough.
Insert cringing emoji.
Aaron Jones’ signing this spring offers some hope, but is his presence going to be enough? Or will O’Connell and staff implement new strategies? New motions? New formations, like, say, the pistol? If not, it’s difficult to envision a massive leap — as was the case last year.
10. How much more man coverage is Flores willing to mix in?
The Miami Dolphins deployed more man coverage from 2019-21 than any other NFL team. In fact, according to TruMedia, Flores’ teams played man on more than 50 percent of snaps over that span.
Contrast that reality with the 2023 Vikings — Minnesota ranked 23rd in the NFL in man coverage usage and played it on fewer than 20 percent of snaps. Personnel directly influenced the difference. When you have Xavien Howard and Byron Jones, you can leave your defenders on an island. You cannot say the same about Akayleb Evans, Byron Murphy Jr. and Blackmon.
Adding Shaq Griffin should give Flores more confidence than he had in 2023, but how much more? Griffin will soon turn 29 and has not started consistently since 2021.
Flores’ willingness to mix in the most traditional defense might also depend on the Vikings’ pass rush. Quicker defenders like Jonathan Greenard, Dallas Turner and Ivan Pace Jr. can get home, meaning less time cornerbacks like Griffin, Murphy and Blackmon have to blanket elite receivers.
(Photo of T.J. Hockenson: Todd Rosenberg / Getty Images)
