The Minnesota offense lost some key contributors this offseason and mostly replaced its former players with younger, less experienced talent.
The Vikings traded Stefon Diggs to the Bills, and used one of the draft picks Buffalo gave them to draft wideout Justin Jefferson.
The Vikings also terminated Josh Kline’s contract, leaving reserves Dru Samia and Dakota Dozier to probably compete for the spot. There’s also Ezra Cleveland, a rookie tackle who could maybe play guard if needed. Left tackle Riley Reiff could move over to guard, too.
In a whirlwind offseason, the Vikings have been hit with another news-grabbing headline: running back Dalvin Cook is holding out from any team-related activities until he receives a “reasonable” deal, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
So where does that leave the Minnesota offense? Now, more than ever, worse off.
The team has too may unknowns headed into 2020. What if Jefferson isn’t cut out to be a wide receiver two? I think he probably is, but no one knows that right now.
What if players replacing some of these veterans get injured, and the reserves behind them on the depth chart aren’t cut out for bigger roles?
In a year where the Vikings have to rely on players who are still unproven, it helps to have Cook locked in for 2020. He is a key part of a Vikings offense that will probably have at least two new starters and maybe more.
There’s also the defense. I know, Cook doesn’t play on that side of the ball, but the Vikings had plenty of key departures there, and the Minnesota defense might not be the same because of it.
If the young corners get beat and the defensive line doesn’t look as good, the Vikings are going to need an effective offense to make the playoffs. The team’s offense is better when Cook is playing well.
Can Alexander Mattison and/or Mike Boone come in and replace someone like Cook, and have the offense run just as well? I’m not so sure.
Right now, it seems like Cook will need a new deal before playing. In a year where the Vikings have undergone big changes on both sides of the ball, it helps to not have a question mark at running back. How do the Vikings do that? By extending Cook.