2020 Offense Discussion Thread

QUARTERBACK

Here’s what I said about Kirk Cousins after the 2019 season:

“After a slow start to the season and one of the worst games of his career in Week 2 against the Packers, Cousins turned things around to put together the best performance of his career and his second top-10 finish in PFF grading. He took to the Vikings’ outside zone/play action-heavy scheme, working well both inside and outside the pocket. Cousins was incredibly accurate at the intermediate (10 to 19 yards downfield) level and cut down on his turnover-worthy plays. The biggest improvement this season was his increase of 3.8 percentage points in positively graded throw rate, the third-highest mark in the NFL, and that's a credit to the system and supporting cast in Minnesota, even with their injury woes. Overall, it was a strong second season for Cousins, who improved his game and came through in big spots over the course of the year.”

Cousins was one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the league last season, producing a career-high 84.1 overall grade, including the playoffs. He made big plays outside the pocket, and while the new system certainly provided more downfield opportunities, Cousins also did a fine job of keeping the offense on point despite injuries on the outside and uneven play from the offensive line. Fans are always left wanting for a “next step” from Cousins, whether it’s a big playoff win or a get-on-my-back stretch of play in which he carries the team, and while those may never happen, he’s a capable starter who will keep the Vikings in position to win games once again this season.

RUNNING BACK

Last season, Dalvin Cook showed what he’s capable of when healthy, generating an 83.5 rushing grade that ranked fourth in the league during the regular season. He has one of the league’s best combinations of power and burst, evident in his 4.5 yards per carry average over three years in the league. Cook is effective in the pass game, too, ranking second among running backs in screen yards in 2019. However, his eight drops and two fumbles marred his receiving grade for the year.

When healthy, Cook is right there with the top runners in the league. Behind him, 2019 third-rounder Alexander Mattison posted a 69.2 rushing grade and 4.6 yards per carry, while preseason sensation Mike Boone got into the action with 5.6 yards per carry on 49 attempts. The trio returns to give the Vikings one of the NFL's better backfields in 2020, led by Cook’s big-play potential.

WIDE RECEIVER

After trotting out one of the best receiving duos in the league over the past few years, the Vikings' unit is riddled with uncertainty entering this season. Adam Thielen was limited to just 541 snaps last season, but when healthy, he’s a nuanced route-runner with the downfield ball skills to win all over the field. Thielen posted a 78.5 receiving grade in 2019 after earning a career-high 89.4 mark in 2019, which ranked seventh among wideouts.

The biggest question mark surrounds rookie first-rounder Justin Jefferson, who will be charged with replacing Stefon Diggs. Jefferson’s scouting report will read a lot like Thielen’s, as he’s a crafty route-runner with an excellent feel for working the middle of the field. Most of Jefferson’s production came out of the slot at LSU, where he often had free releases and schemed up throws, but he has the tools to win on the outside and caught 12 of his 13 contested catches a year ago. The Vikings didn’t use three wide receivers often in 2019, but Olabisi Johnson did a fine job as a seventh-round rookie, grading at 63.7 overall to go with 311 yards, including the playoffs.

Tajae Sharpe signed a one-year deal this offseason after four years with the Titans and a career-best 72.3 grade last season. Fifth-round pick K.J. Osborn will compete for snaps, as will third-year player Chad Beebe, who has six career catches. Even if the Vikings are going to predominantly be a two-wide receiver team, they need Jefferson to transition smoothly to the NFL and Thielen to get back to his 2018 form if they are to boast one of the league’s best receiving units in 2020.

TIGHT END

Minnesota has one of the better one-two punches in the league at tight end with Kyle Rudolph and Irv Smith. Rudolph has a huge frame, and while it always feels like he should be more productive, he’s had a solid nine-year career for the Vikings. Last season, Rudolph had the 13th-best receiving grade among tight ends during the regular season (76.9), though his run blocking has tapered off in recent years, grading in the 50.0s for four straight seasons.

Smith brings a different skill set to the unit as more of an oversized receiver who can line up in the slot and make plays in space. He caught 39 passes for 350 yards as a rookie to go with a 65.4 run-blocking grade. Third-year tight end Tyler Conklin adds depth to the group with 14 career catches. With so many question marks in the receiving corps and Minnesota’s penchant for two-tight end sets, expect even more production out of Rudolph and another step forward from Smith this season.

OFFENSIVE LINE

A new offensive system and play action-heavy approach helped the Vikings move up to 19th in our final offensive line rankings in 2019, and they return fourth-fifths of last year’s unit. Left tackle Riley Reiff has been a mid-tier option since coming over from the Detroit Lions. He has had many solid games in his three years with the Vikings but also some duds, including a poor 31.6 pass-blocking grade against the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round last year. On the plus side, Reiff is a solid zone blocker and had the 20th-highest percentage of positively graded run blocks among 82 qualifying tackles last year.

Right tackle Brian O’Neill is another athletic zone blocker who fits well in Minnesota’s system, ranking 22nd in positively graded blocks in 2019 — right behind Reiff. O’Neill has also been solid in pass protection in his two NFL seasons, ranking in the top half of the league with a 68.6 grade. The Vikings used a second-round pick on Boise State tackle Ezra Cleveland, who profiles similarly to Reiff and O’Neill as a good zone blocker with mid-level expectations as a pass-blocker.

On the interior, left guard Pat Elflein has struggled as both a center and guard. Elflein’s 57.4 overall grade ranks just 105th out of 130 qualifying interior offensive linemen over the past three years. Meanwhile, at right guard, Dakota Dozier is slated for the first extended starting action of his career, as he’s yet to play more than 361 snaps in any of his five seasons. Dozier graded at just 51.5 across both guard positions and a little bit of center last season for the Vikings.

Center Garrett Bradbury has the perfect skill set for Minnesota’s outside-zone scheme, and he flashed it last season. In pass protection, though, he struggled en route to a 38.7 pass-blocking grade that ranked last among centers. The Vikings have a good zone-blocking line that gave their running backs the third-highest percentage of positively graded blocks per rush last season, but there are holes in pass protection, especially in must-pass situations against good defensive lines.