Answering burning Minnesota Vikings questions: From Sam Darnold to T.J. Hockenson and Christian Darrisaw
The Minnesota Vikings will make their preseason debut on Saturday afternoon against the Las Vegas Raiders and the excitement amongst the fanbase is palpable. As we look forward to the debut of the 2024 Vikings team, there are still many questions that need to be answered. The fanbase is very curious about nearly every element […]
The Minnesota Vikings will make their preseason debut on Saturday afternoon against the Las Vegas Raiders and the excitement amongst the fanbase is palpable.
As we look forward to the debut of the 2024 Vikings team, there are still many questions that need to be answered. The fanbase is very curious about nearly every element of the team. What are the biggest questions that the fanbase has? I went to Twitter and got a lot of interesting ones. I picked the best to answer in my latest mailbag.
Minnesota Vikings questions: Christian Darrisaw, Sam Darnold and T.J. Hockenson highlight
The state of the Vikings roster is an interesting one. They did give both Darrisaw and Justin Jefferson extensions during the offseason worth nearly $250 million.
My projections for the Vikings 2025 salary cap are north of $90 million but it’s unknown whether the Vikings will prioritize Bynum in their future plans. I projected his extension to be three years, $36 million if they were to sign him to one.
This is a really good one. The best comparison would be 2004 Drew Brees with the San Diego Chargers. They had just drafted Phillip Rivers at fourth overall with the Eli Manning trade and he was the future of the franchise. Brees came out and made the Pro Bowl, prompting the Chargers to franchise tag him.
The decision was made for them at the end of the 2005 season when Brees severely injured his shoulder. If the Vikings were to bring back Darnold, that’s the pathway to getting it done. If you want a deeper breakdown, I did so a month or two ago on The Real Forno Show (below).
It’s definitely possible. Darnold is the ultimate wild card in this scenario. Selected third overall in 2018, Darnold has been put in poor situation after poor situation.
After the success of Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield realizing their talent, can he do the same? It’s definitely possible considering the Vikings’ elite offensive infrastructure. The chemistry with him and Jefferson is building and that could be dangerous with Darnold’s high-end arm talent.
The needs are simple in my opinion: defensive line, defensive line, cornerback, running back, defensive line.
The reason why defensive line shows up three times in the top five is they need three of them. Cornerback could be solved after the regular season with the talent in the room right now but that is a stretch. Running back will be in flux due to the contract and age of Aaron Jones. Plus, it’s a potentially historic running back group and they could take advantage.
Offense: Jalen Nailor looks legit. It’s take three years to get here but injuries have made that journey a little longer. He looks explosive ok every opportunity he gets on the field and it’s impressive to watch.
Defense: Brian Asamoah II revenge tour. It’s a similar story with Asamoah that injuries have hampered him. Now, it’s not just injuries here. Performance has hindered him, especially with tackling. If he can keep up his stellar training camp, the Vikings will have a solid linebacker room.
He’s the front runner easily at this point. Honestly? It’s unfortunate for Brandon Powell who has been good during camp, but Nailor has been lights out. Injuries could complicate things, as the way have throughout Nailor’s NFL career, but it’s his to lose as things sit.
You hit the nail on the head with your first point. He doesn’t fit the scheme very well.
Under Ed Donatell, the methodology was to gang tackle. You didn’t need to be great at tackling because if you missed, someone else would clean up. Thats not the case in this aggressive defense. If you miss a tackle in the open field, it could be catastrophic.
It’s always possible he could take a step forward, but I don’t see that happening.
I love this question so much. If you don’t know what the G1 Climax is, it’s a grueling round robin tournament in New Japan Pro Wrestling with some of the best pro wrestlers in the world.
It’s also a great question because the Vikings are the only team in the NFL with two former WWE champions (Brock Lesnar and Joe Anoa’i aka: Roman Reigns) and two IWGP Champions (Lesnar and Bob Sapp).
Of everyone on the roster, I’d put my money on a guy like Blake Cashman. Versatile, athletic and strong. Levi Drake Rodriguez is another one due to his motor and strength a la Jeff Cobb.