Multiple veterans will be fighting for starting jobs as the Minnesota Vikings begin OTAs
It's funny how things are parsed in the NFL.Take the Minnesota Vikings, for instance. On the surface, a 7-10 2023 season, losing Kirk Cousins and signing Sam Darnold/drafting J.J. McCarthy, and then a defense that's reshaping its personnel may seem like a rebuild. But if you ask the Vikings, it's a "competitive rebuild". Sure, they lost […]
It's funny how things are parsed in the NFL.
Take the Minnesota Vikings, for instance. On the surface, a 7-10 2023 season, losing Kirk Cousins and signing Sam Darnold/drafting J.J. McCarthy, and then a defense that's reshaping its personnel may seem like a rebuild.
But if you ask the Vikings, it's a "competitive rebuild". Sure, they lost a lot of the key pieces that brought them success over the last several seasons, but there are still plenty of guys around to help win games. And, the top of the coaching staff is still intact from last year and prior years.
Either way, the word "rebuild" is included in their identity, which means guys will be fighting for starting jobs and just jobs in general, as the team looks to maximize its roster for the 2024 season.
What are some of those battles? Let's dive in.
Quarterback
The contenders: Sam Darnold, J.J. McCarthy, Nick Mullens, Jaren Hall
This is more a battle between Darnold and McCarthy, but the battle between Mullens and Hall (if the Vikings decide to keep three QBs) will also be worth paying attention to. Mullens showed a lot of flashes last year as a backup. If he can cut down on the turnovers, then he could certainly force Minnesota to keep three signal-callers or at least get traded to a place where he's the legit No. 2 guy.
Getting back to Darnold and McCarthy, though: I think this is Darnold's job to lose in 2024. The Vikings aren't going to sink $10 million into a guy that doesn't have a decently-long leash. Head coach Kevin O'Connell has also been a fan of his, for a while, and Darnold has been OK over the last couple of seasons. He's also in an offense similar to San Francisco's, so the learning curve won't be too crazy.
McCarthy can certainly make things interesting by getting off to a fast start over the next few weeks, though. The Vikings won't worry about paying $10 million to a backup, either, as long as it means McCarthy beat out Darnold and not Darnold imploded, or something like that. McCarthy winning the job via strong play in practice and understanding of the playbook would be a great problem to have.
Left guard
The main contenders: Blake Brandel, Dan Feeney
Brandel is the projected favorite to win the starting left guard job. He's kind of in the situation as Darnold. The Vikings gave him a three-year, $9.5 million contract over the offseason that included $4.75 million in guaranteed money. It gives Brandel a decent leash, but it doesn't guarantee him the starting gig.
Feeney is entering his eighth season and has played in 112 games with 65 starts – he has recorded 4,251 offensive snaps throughout his career. Brandel needs to get off to a solid start and keep it that way or else Feeney could certainly catch up and take the job.
Cornerback
The main contenders: Shaq Griffin, Mekhi Blackmon, Khyree Jackson, Akayleb Evans
A lot of this depends on whether or not the Vikings move Byron Murphy inside and how often they do, if so. Regardless, there's at least one perimeter spot open and the Vikings might need someone on the inside if they don't move Murphy.
One would think Griffin leads the way, but don't discount Blackmon, who was having a solid rookie year until he went down with a late-season injury. Khyree Jackson also has the traits and potential to make some noise over the next few weeks.
The rest of the bunch
It'll be interesting to see how the Vikings handle Aaron Jones and Ty Chandler. Either way, they’ll have two three-down backs that complement each other nicely. My guess is a tandem, whether it's a true 50/50 split or 60/40, or whatever.
The receiver depth will also be something to monitor, as the team needs to find solid options behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. Ty James and Devron Harper are two UDFAs to watch, there.
The defensive line appears to be set with Jerry Tillery and Jonathan Bullard coming in, but keep an eye on Levi Drake Rodriguez, whom the Vikings have had their eye on since his collegiate days at the Southwestern Assemblies of God University. Sorting out the EDGE room will be interesting, as well.
In all, there will be a lot to keep up with over the coming weeks and months, but that's the best part of the offseason: watching these teams build everything up in preparation for the regular season.
