The Minnesota Vikings, along with the other 31 NFL teams, are officially in the dead period now that mandatory minicamps have wrapped across the board.

That also means there won't be much to talk about over the next month-and-change, but I digress. 

When it comes to the Vikings' outlook for 2024, it's easy to see both sides of the spectrum. There's certainly a world in which Sam Darnold keeps the team afloat and the defensive additions turn in to quality contributors, which in turn makes the unit a formidable one and the team, as a whole, a playoff contender.

There's also the inverse of that situation. One where things don't click as nearly as well and the team is picking in the top 5-12 picks of the 2025 NFL Draft.

But, there are a handful of players (not named Justin Jefferson), that if they rise to the occasion, will help the Vikings' season play out to more of the former, than the latter.

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1. QB Sam Darnold

This is the first and most obvious answer. And no, J.J. McCarthy isn't making this list because while Kevin O'Connell hasn't ruled out the idea, it's Darnold's job to lose and the Vikings aren't moving away from him until they start losing a bunch of games. We obviously are nowhere near that point, yet.

Back to Darnold: The dude is easily the key to the 2024 season, good or bad. He's also capable of providing both outcomes, as well. We've seen him at his lowest of lows in New York and then what he can do when he has stability around him, like in Carolina and San Francisco. 

While this sounds super-basic, it's true and relevant. The key to Darnold's success will be limiting turnovers, mainly interceptions. Since he came into the league in 2018, Darnold has thrown the ninth-most interceptions (56), despite appearing in 10 fewer games than the nine guys in front of him. His 3.1% interception rate is second-highest  since 2018, behind none other than Jameis Winston, the fifth quarterback in NFL history to throw 30+ interceptions in a single season since the 1970 merger and the first guy to do it since Vinny Testaverde accomplished the feat in 1988. That's out of 32 qualifying quarterbacks with at least 1,308 pass attempts since 2018.

O'Connell's system, plus the guys around him, should limit Darnold's mistakes to the point where he's an effective quarterback, but obviously that remains to be seen as we await the start of training camp.

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2. RB Aaron Jones

Jones is still a dynamic runner and receiver that can line up across the formation and provide mismatches/big plays on a consistent basis. He's an excellent fit for the Vikings' zone scheme and will form a very good tandem with Ty Chandler.

His issue is staying healthy. Jones has never really experienced a serious injury, but he's always dealt with nagging injuries that have limited him to just one fully healthy season since 2019. Last year was easily his worst in terms of injuries, as a hamstring pull suffered during Week 1 basically kept him out of the next four games (he played just 20 snaps in Week 4 and was essentially a decoy). Then, he sprained his MCL in Week 11 and missed the subsequent three games.

However, Jones quickly made a difference once he was healthy and back in action. He ran for 411 yards on 76 carries over the last four games of the season (5.4 yards a pop) and that included three straight games of 111+ yards on the ground to close out 2023.

That also carried into the playoffs, where he single-handedly decimated the Dallas Cowboys with 118 rushing yards, a 13-yard reception, and three rushing touchdowns and then hit the 49ers with 108 yards on 18 carries.

There's zero reason to think Jones can't pick up where he left off in 2024 and we should see a substantial boost in the Vikings' running game, as a result.

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3. CB Byron Murphy Jr.

Murphy Jr. is the Vikings' top corner, but he wasn't utilized in the best way possible, last year, because of the round of injuries that decimated the secondary late in the season. Murphy Jr. even fell victim to the injury bug, himself, and missed the last three games of the regular season. 

With the Vikings secondary restocked and now that he's healthy, the idea is for Murphy Jr. to be the No. 1 corner on the perimeter and then he'll slide inside whenever Brian Flores deploys his subpackages, which should be some type of nickel formation for the majority of defensive play calls. 

That leaves Murphy Jr. with a ripe opportunity to really make an impact on the Vikings' season. If he can prove to be the effective, versatile piece Flores envisions, then the trickle-down effect will undoubtedly have the position group in a spot to make amends for last year's late-season disappointment (regardless of health status).

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4. EDGE Jonathan Greenard 

The Vikings let Danielle Hunter walk in free agency and basically opted for Greenard, instead. Letting Hunter go was a logical decision and it's easy to see why the team went in this direction. But, that leaves Greenard with some big shoes to fill and a fat contract to live up to, on top of that.

The talented pass rusher should be able to do just that, not because of his own ability, but because of the Vikings' front seven, overall. There are plenty of guys, especially the pass rushers, that will help take pressure off Greenard so he can do his thing.

The Vikings definitely need a double-digit sack season out of their No. 1 pass rusher. If he can provide that, then the defense, and the overall team, will be in a good spot.

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