Post by Purple Pain on Aug 21, 2024 9:25:02 GMT -6
Offensive line
Minnesota kept 10 offensive linemen in O’Connell’s first season as head coach, then eight last year. Nine seems about right for 2024, and six of them are obvious: Christian Darrisaw, Blake Brandel, Garrett Bradbury, Ed Ingram, Brian O’Neill and David Quessenberry.
Walter Rouse, the Vikings’ sixth-rounder this spring, has proved enough throughout training camp and the preseason to warrant a spot. Like Quessenberry, though, he is a tackle.
The guards remain a puzzle. Dan Feeney has not practiced in the last week after getting rolled up on, and Dalton Risner has not practiced in weeks after suffering a back injury. Meanwhile, Michael Jurgens, the Vikings’ seventh-round pick, has struggled mightily in both preseason games. Don’t sleep on Tyrese Robinson, who last year was a member of the Vikings’ practice squad. He has impressed throughout the preseason and he’s healthy.
This is down to four players for two spots, and unfortunately, it’s hard to be optimistic about the depth here considering these injuries.
Defensive line
The Vikings kept six defensive linemen in O’Connell’s first season and five last year. Harrison Phillips, Jonathan Bullard and Jerry Tillery are likely to start in five-down fronts. Jonah Williams, Levi Drake Rodriguez, Jaquelin Roy, Taki Taimani and Jalen Redmond are vying for positions behind them.
Williams and Rodriguez are likely to make the roster. Williams is a veteran pass rusher who can play the three-technique if Tillery or Bullard is injured. Rodriguez occupies a similar position and possesses a get-off and motor you can’t teach.
Keeping six might be feasible, especially because the Vikings would need a backup nose tackle behind Phillips. Waiving Roy would mean the Vikings have cut two defensive tackles they selected in the fifth round in back-to-back seasons. It’s not the best look, but they’ll be OK with it if they decide Taimani, who has sneakily had one of the best preseasons of any Vikings defender, deserves to make the 53.
Edge rusher
Let’s say the Vikings keep six interior defensive linemen. They did this in 2022 and kept five edge rushers, four inside linebackers, six cornerbacks and four safeties. Keep those numbers in mind.
Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Dallas Turner and Patrick Jones II will be on the 2024 roster. Jihad Ward’s size allows him to slide toward the interior on pass-rushing downs, and he has shown enough for the Vikings to keep him. Sticking with those five would likely mean parting with undrafted edge rusher Gabriel Murphy, who has not practiced in a couple of weeks with an undisclosed injury, and Bo Richter, who has had an exceptional preseason.
Inside linebacker
I’m not sure there is a Vikings player I’m higher on for 2024 than Ivan Pace Jr. He and Blake Cashman are certainties. Kamu Grugier-Hill and Brian Asamoah II might be, as well, with how much Minnesota’s staff values special teams. And the Vikings have kept four inside linebackers in both of O’Connell’s seasons with the team.
If the Vikings make another cut here, Asamoah might be in play. He is speedy, aggressive and physical, but the ball skills remain a question, which is a theme for most of the Vikings defenders selected in the 2022 draft.
Cornerback
Health permitting, Stephon Gilmore, Shaq Griffin and Byron Murphy Jr. will be starting when the Vikings play nickel defense Week 1 in New York against the Giants. Behind them, the coaches have plenty of decisions to make.
Six players could be vying for two or three spots: Fabian Moreau, Akayleb Evans, Duke Shelley, NaJee Thompson, Dwight McGlothern and Nahshon Wright. Moreau, Evans and McGlothern all align best on the outside, while Shelley is better in the slot.
Cutting McGlothern and Wright would leave this position group with little budding young talent beyond Mekhi Blackmon, who recently underwent ACL surgery. The Vikings might feel they can continue to use their salary cap space to plug holes at the position — unlike receiver or edge rusher — but it sure would be nice to see them develop some of their own.
Safety
The decisions don’t get easier here. While Harrison Smith, Cam Bynum, Josh Metellus and Theo Jackson will surely make the 53-man, there’s a pileup behind them.
Jay Ward, a fourth-round pick from 2023, played nearly 70 percent of the Vikings’ special teams snaps last season. Even though he was flagged several times for offside, Minnesota might choose to keep a core contributor to that unit. Then there’s Lewis Cine, who Saturday put together his best performance as a Viking. Moving on from him would mean absorbing a sizable dead cap hit, but the Vikings might be willing to pay the present tax for the future dividends of another young roster spot.
Minnesota kept 10 offensive linemen in O’Connell’s first season as head coach, then eight last year. Nine seems about right for 2024, and six of them are obvious: Christian Darrisaw, Blake Brandel, Garrett Bradbury, Ed Ingram, Brian O’Neill and David Quessenberry.
Walter Rouse, the Vikings’ sixth-rounder this spring, has proved enough throughout training camp and the preseason to warrant a spot. Like Quessenberry, though, he is a tackle.
The guards remain a puzzle. Dan Feeney has not practiced in the last week after getting rolled up on, and Dalton Risner has not practiced in weeks after suffering a back injury. Meanwhile, Michael Jurgens, the Vikings’ seventh-round pick, has struggled mightily in both preseason games. Don’t sleep on Tyrese Robinson, who last year was a member of the Vikings’ practice squad. He has impressed throughout the preseason and he’s healthy.
This is down to four players for two spots, and unfortunately, it’s hard to be optimistic about the depth here considering these injuries.
Defensive line
The Vikings kept six defensive linemen in O’Connell’s first season and five last year. Harrison Phillips, Jonathan Bullard and Jerry Tillery are likely to start in five-down fronts. Jonah Williams, Levi Drake Rodriguez, Jaquelin Roy, Taki Taimani and Jalen Redmond are vying for positions behind them.
Williams and Rodriguez are likely to make the roster. Williams is a veteran pass rusher who can play the three-technique if Tillery or Bullard is injured. Rodriguez occupies a similar position and possesses a get-off and motor you can’t teach.
Keeping six might be feasible, especially because the Vikings would need a backup nose tackle behind Phillips. Waiving Roy would mean the Vikings have cut two defensive tackles they selected in the fifth round in back-to-back seasons. It’s not the best look, but they’ll be OK with it if they decide Taimani, who has sneakily had one of the best preseasons of any Vikings defender, deserves to make the 53.
Edge rusher
Let’s say the Vikings keep six interior defensive linemen. They did this in 2022 and kept five edge rushers, four inside linebackers, six cornerbacks and four safeties. Keep those numbers in mind.
Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Dallas Turner and Patrick Jones II will be on the 2024 roster. Jihad Ward’s size allows him to slide toward the interior on pass-rushing downs, and he has shown enough for the Vikings to keep him. Sticking with those five would likely mean parting with undrafted edge rusher Gabriel Murphy, who has not practiced in a couple of weeks with an undisclosed injury, and Bo Richter, who has had an exceptional preseason.
Inside linebacker
I’m not sure there is a Vikings player I’m higher on for 2024 than Ivan Pace Jr. He and Blake Cashman are certainties. Kamu Grugier-Hill and Brian Asamoah II might be, as well, with how much Minnesota’s staff values special teams. And the Vikings have kept four inside linebackers in both of O’Connell’s seasons with the team.
If the Vikings make another cut here, Asamoah might be in play. He is speedy, aggressive and physical, but the ball skills remain a question, which is a theme for most of the Vikings defenders selected in the 2022 draft.
Cornerback
Health permitting, Stephon Gilmore, Shaq Griffin and Byron Murphy Jr. will be starting when the Vikings play nickel defense Week 1 in New York against the Giants. Behind them, the coaches have plenty of decisions to make.
Six players could be vying for two or three spots: Fabian Moreau, Akayleb Evans, Duke Shelley, NaJee Thompson, Dwight McGlothern and Nahshon Wright. Moreau, Evans and McGlothern all align best on the outside, while Shelley is better in the slot.
Cutting McGlothern and Wright would leave this position group with little budding young talent beyond Mekhi Blackmon, who recently underwent ACL surgery. The Vikings might feel they can continue to use their salary cap space to plug holes at the position — unlike receiver or edge rusher — but it sure would be nice to see them develop some of their own.
Safety
The decisions don’t get easier here. While Harrison Smith, Cam Bynum, Josh Metellus and Theo Jackson will surely make the 53-man, there’s a pileup behind them.
Jay Ward, a fourth-round pick from 2023, played nearly 70 percent of the Vikings’ special teams snaps last season. Even though he was flagged several times for offside, Minnesota might choose to keep a core contributor to that unit. Then there’s Lewis Cine, who Saturday put together his best performance as a Viking. Moving on from him would mean absorbing a sizable dead cap hit, but the Vikings might be willing to pay the present tax for the future dividends of another young roster spot.