Vikings name 2023 team captains
The Minnesota Vikings are all set for the 2023 season to begin. After finalizing the roster and practice squad last week, the team announced which players will be captains. The team went with eight selections, which is the same amount the team had in 2022. The team will have three on offense, three on defense, […]
The Minnesota Vikings are all set for the 2023 season to begin. After finalizing the roster and practice squad last week, the team announced which players will be captains.
The team went with eight selections, which is the same amount the team had in 2022. The team will have three on offense, three on defense, and two on special teams, with some notable names included.
Due to the roster turnover this offseason, the Vikings' leadership group looks different than it did a year ago.
The captains will be Kirk Cousins, Justin Jefferson, and Brian O'Neill on offense. On defense, the team selected Danielle Hunter, Jordan Hicks, and Harrison Smith. Rounding out the group, Josh Metellus and CJ Ham are the two special teams captains.
Cousins, Ham, O'Neill, and Smith were also captains last season. Jefferson, Metellus, Hunter, and Hicks will replace Adam Thielen, Patrick Peterson, Eric Kendricks, and Dalvin Cook, who all departed in free agency.
Hunter was embroiled in controversy for much of the offseason, but the team and player both appear to have moved on. Other than Smith, Hunter is the longest-tenured Viking defender.
Hicks will be looked to to fill the leadership role vacated by Kendricks in his second season with the Vikes.
Metellus earned rave reviews this summer and figures to be a key piece on both defense and special teams this season.
Jefferson is one of the best receivers in football and is an unquestioned leader on offense.
Overall, this is a diverse group of players that will be looked to as leaders in 2023. The Vikings kick off the season on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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Featured image via © Jeffrey Becker | 2022 Oct 9
