After a frenetic free agency period in which they signed 14 new players, the Vikings emerged from the draft with their successor to Kirk Cousins and their pass rusher to follow Danielle Hunter. Now, they’ll see how it all works.
Five questions Vikings are facing after NFL draft and ahead of OTAs
The Vikings emerged from the NFL draft with their successor to Kirk Cousins and their pass rusher to follow Danielle Hunter. Now, they’ll see how it all works.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
April 30, 2024 at 2:20PM
They will convene for organized team activities May 20 with 38 new players on the roster in what could lead to one of the most competitive battles for starting jobs and roster spots in years. As they prepare to put their new-look team on the practice field later, here is a look at five questions still facing the 2024 Vikings:
1. How’s J.J. looking?
This is a throwback to the “How’s Teddy looking?” questions peppered at Vikings beat writers a decade ago, when Teddy Bridgewater was in his first practices as a rookie quarterback. It’s likely to be a frequent topic of conversation this spring, too, with J.J. McCarthy about to begin his Vikings indoctrination. Coach Kevin O’Connell uses the first part of the offseason as a teaching phase, so the Vikings’ practices during OTAs are typically less intense than some of the training camp work (particularly during joint practices) that could provide a greater window into McCarthy’s trajectory. Still, it will be worth paying attention to how coaches talk about McCarthy’s progress in the classroom and on the field this spring. Though the Vikings aren’t in any rush to put him in the lineup, it also seems unlikely they’ll hold him back at whatever point he shows he’s ready to take the job.
2. When will J.J. to JJ happen?
Justin Jefferson was not in Minnesota for the start of the Vikings’ offseason, as the wide receiver remains without a long-term contract. But General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said Saturday that the Vikings would “keep working” on a deal for Jefferson, adding that things could pick back up now that the Vikings and Jefferson’s agents are done with the draft. McCarthy and Jefferson are both represented by William Morris Endeavor. Adofo-Mensah said the two probably know each other already and added he believed they’d talked after the Vikings drafted McCarthy. It seems only a matter of time before Jefferson’s deal is done and the two are on the field together.
3. Who will step forward at cornerback?
The Vikings signed Shaquill Griffin this offseason as they prioritize man coverage and cornerbacks who can be physical with receivers, and fourth-round pick Khyree Jackson brings some of the same skills to Minnesota. Given that Akayleb Evans was benched at the end of the 2023 season and second-year cornerback Mekhi Blackmon still has room to grow, the Vikings’ cornerback spot opposite Griffin seems wide open. The team would prefer to put Byron Murphy Jr. back in the slot, so whether it’s Evans, Jackson, Blackmon or Andrew Booth Jr., a cornerback emerging before the start of the 2024 season would fill a big need.
4. How will the Vikings organize their front seven?
The Vikings initiated major changes to their pass rushing group this offseason, signing Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel to replace Danielle Hunter, D.J. Wonnum and Marcus Davenport before drafting Dallas Turner 17th overall. Greenard and Van Ginkel could line up next to Blake Cashman and Ivan Pace Jr. in the Vikings’ base defense, but Turner figures to be involved as early as he shows he’s ready. On the defensive line, Harrison Phillips and Jonathan Bullard are back, but players such as Jerry Tillery and Jonah Williams will be fighting for roles. The group could take on different configurations in coordinator Brian Flores’ defense, with a deeper group of veterans than the Vikings had last year.
5. Do the Vikings have their kicker?
The last two times the Vikings drafted a Southeastern Conference kicker, things didn’t end smoothly: Blair Walsh’s infamous wild-card round miss in 2015 precipitated the slide that ended his Vikings career, and the Vikings cut Daniel Carlson after three Week 2 misses as a rookie at Lambeau Field (before Carlson went on to become an All-Pro player with the Raiders). They’ll hope for better results with Alabama kicker Will Reichard, who became the all-time leading FBS scorer during his final college season. Reichard will battle John Parker Romo for the job, but the fact the Vikings used a sixth-round pick on him makes Reichard the leader for the job. He didn’t miss an extra point in 2023 and hit 22 of his 25 field-goal attempts, including all five of his tries from 50-plus yards. Romo, who played in the XFL, is one of the few NFL kickers with experience in the league’s new kickoff format, which the NFL adopted from the XFL this spring. It will be interesting to watch how all the strategic changes prompted by the new rule affect the Vikings’ kicking competition, or even whether they’d consider hanging on to both kickers given Romo’s experience.
Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the round in which kicker Will Reichard was drafted.
Mike Conley was in Minneapolis, where he sounded the Gjallarhorn at the Vikings game, on Sunday during the robbery.
