Nolan Teasley sets ideal direction for Minnesota Vikings with the perfect duo of hires
One day after Nolan Teasley moved on from four front office personnel, he made two critical hires for the franchise’s future.
Minnesota Vikings general manager Nolan Teasley had quite a bit of work to do upon taking the job, and limited time to make changes within the front office.
On Thursday, the Vikings moved on from four members of the front office and scouting staff, including assistant general manager Demitrius Washington, who asked to pursue other opportunities. Friday night came a fascinating news drop where Teasley has added two assistant general managers: Andrew Healy of the Cleveland Browns and Trent Kirchner of the Seattle Seahawks.
Minnesota Vikings hire two assistant general managers
The above report from The Minnesota Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling also mentions that Healy will be the No. 2 behind Teasley. That means the Vikings’ second-in-command will be an analytics-forward individual.
Healy has been with the Cleveland Browns since 2016, when he joined the organization as a senior strategist in player personnel. He was promoted to vice president of strategy in June of 2019 and has held the title ever since. He’s a very analytics-forward individual with a bachelor’s in applied mathematics and political science, along with a PhD in economics from MIT, per his LinkedIn.
What becomes interesting is that Healy, like Kwesi Adofo-Mensah before him, comes from the analytics-forward Browns. That doesn’t necessarily mean he will approach things the same as Adofo-Mensah did, especially since his version of “analytics” bucked nearly every trend that the consensus has agreed upon. The Browns’ drafts in recent years have been excellent, and adding that kind of voice is going to be really important.
Trent Kirchner is a phenomenal hire
The other aspect of the discussion is the hiring of Kirchner, who has been getting general manager interviews for the better part of a decade. He’s a widely respected scout who has been with the Seahawks since 2010, and in the NFL for a total of 27 years
For the last seven years, Kirchnew has been the Vice President of Player Personnel and a widely respected eye for talent. Per the Seahawks’ website, Kirchner oversees both the pro personnel side and college scouting, which is good for what the Vikings need.
Over the last five years, the Seahawks have been a beacon of success. They turned the Russell Wilson trade into a massive haul that included Devon Witherspoon, Charles Cross, and Kenneth Walker III. He was brought up for the Vikings’ general manager job by a few people in the media, and for good reason. The Seahawks have had a lot of success with both Kirchner and Teasley involved in the NFL Draft process, and their camaraderie is going to be huge for the Vikings.
It’s also the likely reason why the Vikings kept Ryan Grigson, who worked with both Kirchner and Teasley for two years in Seattle. He will have a different role than assistant general manager, but him staying is a big deal.
What this means for the future of the front office
Many believed that Teasley was going to focus on the scouting aspect, and that will be a big factor in how they operate. However, making your No. 2 an analytics-forward individual shows that you are very serious about having a data-forward approach.
Analytics is viewed in a very negative light, but it’s a very integral aspect of building a football team. By definithion, analytics is: the systematic computational analysis of data or statistics. It doesn’t mean Pro Football Focus or DVOA. Those are parts of analytics, but how you quantify data is different across the board. Since the Browns have had a lot of success with their team building process (outside of quarterback), it’s a good addition to the offense.