Category: Offseason

Vikings offensive line ranked 23rd by PFF

Minnesota is in the bottom half of Pro Football Focus’ offensive line rankings. Fair or foul?

Minnesota’s offensive line improved in 2019 after a system change, but now the group will have to improve again — without one of its starters.

The Vikings terminated Josh Kline’s contract this offseason. Kline started at right guard for Minnesota. Dru Samia, Dakota Dozier and others will compete for that spot.

Pro Football Focus recently compiled a rankings of all 32 offensive line units heading into 2020. The outlet put the Vikings at No. 23. Here’s what it said about the choice to do so:

“A new offensive system and play-action-heavy approach helped the Vikings move up to 19th in our final rankings last season, and they return fourth-fifths of last year’s unit. … 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 that can be exploited, especially in must-pass situations against good defensive lines.”

I think much of the offensive line’s success for next season will be dependent on how quick Ezra Cleveland can adjust to the NFL. Cleveland, drafted in the second round by the team, is more of a project player.

If he can come in and play tackle, then I think Riley Reiff could move over and the unit as a whole could get better.

Bears rank No. 24 in FTW’s NFL summer power rankings

For the Win doesn’t have much confidence in the Bears this season, which is a sentiment shared by analysts across the NFL.

For the Win’s Steven Ruiz recently released his NFL summer power rankings, where he discussed where each of the 32 teams rank ahead of training camp.

As for the Chicago Bears, Ruiz doesn’t have much confidence, as seems to be the general consensus from analysts around the league. Chicago ranked No. 24, and the quarterback situation is a big reason why.

The starting quarterback will be either Nick Foles or Mitch Tribusky, which should be enough of an explanation for why the Bears don’t rank higher. The only major addition was Robert Quinn, which was a smart signing, but there were a lot of problems areas on the roster that were unaddressed. Chicago is just treading water.

The Bears made some big moves on the offensive side of the ball starting with the addition of veteran quarterback Nick Foles, who will battle Mitchell Trubisky for the starting job. They also overhauled their tight ends room with the addition of rookie Cole Kmet and veterans Jimmy Graham and Demetrius Harris. New offensive coaches Bill Lazor, John DeFilippo, Juan Castillo and Clancy Barone are also significant additions.

As far as defense goes, the Bears addressed one of the biggest concerns with the addition of pass rusher Robert Quinn, who replaces Leonard Floyd. They also added rookie cornerback Jaylon Johnson, who will battle Tre Roberson, Artie Burns and Kevin Toliver for the starting job, as well as safety Tashaun Gipson, who will compete with Deon Bush for the starting strong safety job opposite Eddie Jackson.

While the Bears didn’t make any splashes this offseason, they also made some moves in-house to retain guys like Eddie Jackson (who signed a massive four-year extension), inside linebacker Danny Trevathan (who signed a three-year extension), defensive end Roy Robertson-Harris and defensive back Sherrick McManis among others.

Outside of Halas Hall, no one has confidence in what the Bears can accomplish this season. And that won’t change until Chicago proves it on the field.

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Summer power rankings sees the Vikings at No. 10 in the NFL

Vikings crack the top 10 of another power rankings.

FTW’s Steven Ruiz looked at stats like past season’s performances, Pythagorean Win Expectation and how teams did in coin-flip games in order to compile his recent power rankings.

After all this was determined, the Vikings ranked No. 10 on Ruiz’s list. Here’s what he said about the pick:

“The Vikings’ roster is a lot thinner after an offseason exodus, and while a robust draft class should help fill some of those holes, you never know what to expect out of rookies — especially with an abbreviated offseason schedule. The biggest loss is obviously Stefon Diggs, who left a gaping void at the top of the receiver depth chart and I don’t think Justin Jefferson is capable of filling it just yet. The Vikings also have some injury regression headed their way after finishing as the healthiest team in 2019. Luckily for Minnesota, the biggest threat in the NFC North is coming off an even worse offseason.”

Jefferson might not be capable of filling Diggs’ production, but I don’t think he necessarily has to in 2020. Here’s why.

What does cutting preseason games mean for Vikings?

The Vikings will have a huge challenge of getting a group of new faces ready for the 2020 season with half the preseason games.

It was reported last week that the NFL will cut its preseason from four to two games amid the coronavirus pandemic.

This is certainly the right move and it feels like there’s a pretty good chance we could see the league eliminate the preseason entirely in 2020.

While this does ensure the safety of players as we try to figure out what the season will look like, it does present an obstacle for a team like the Vikings.

The Vikings added 15(!) players in the 2020 NFL Draft along with a handful of undrafted free agents. These players are already at a disadvantage with the offseason being mostly virtual so far. That will only continue as we approach September.

Defensively, this is a team that lost Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes, Mackensie Alexander, Andrew Sendejo, Linval Joseph and Everson Griffen.

The replacements for those players — including veteran Michael Pierce and rookie Jeff Gladney — will be thrown into the fire in Week 1 against the Packers.

Every team has rookies and new players to get ready for a new season. When looking across the league, though, no case is quite as extreme as the Vikings, a team that also hopes to be a Super Bowl contender in 2020.

Where does the NFC North rank in league tight end rankings?

The NFC North is strong in a lot of areas, but not at tight end.

When you think of the NFC North, you probably don’t think of it because of the tight end play.

The best tight end in the division is probably Minnesota’s Kyle Rudolph. Other names include Detroit’s T.J. Hockenson, Chicago’s Jimmy Graham and Green Bay’s Jace Sternberger, although the Packers could be in talks for an upgrade.

I honestly forgot Jimmy Graham was in the league before writing this.

In his divisional tight end rankings, Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports has the NFC North ranked seventh, ahead of only the AFC East.

Here’s a bit of what Benjamin wrote about the NFC North:

If this were 2016, the North might be near the top of the list, but Rudolph and Graham — once among the league’s best — are both at different stages in their careers. Graham still has the body to be an impact red-zone target but really fell off in Green Bay, while Rudolph remains trusty but is unlikely to regularly eclipse 500 yards if Smith Jr. and new WR Justin Jefferson step up. In Detroit, Hockenson and James should be a solid duo if healthy. But Chicago is a grab-bag of middling or unproven talent, and the Packers are putting a lot of stock in Sternberger, who missed all of 2019, or a 36-year-old Marcedes Lewis to replace Graham.

As far as the Vikings are concerned, I would imagine this will be the season in which we’ll see less of Rudolph and more of Irv Smith Jr., although with Gary Kubiak’s offensive scheme, we’ll likely see plenty of both of them.

You can check out Benjamin’s full rankings here.

NFL.com talks Vikings RB Dalvin Cook’s impact on a Gary Kubiak offense

Will Minnesota running back Dalvin Cook be front and center for Gary Kubiak and the Vikings offense? NFL.com’s Grant Gordon isn’t so sure.

Running back Dalvin Cook has thrived for Minnesota when on the field, but an analyst at NFL.com thinks that’s not a given in 2020.

Grant Gordon, who works for NFL.com, recently wrote a piece discussing Cook’s potential contribution in 2020 to the Vikings offense, now led by offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak.

Gordon said that even if Cook gets his way with a new deal, “it might not be the best step forward in terms of productivity — at least as it relates to current NFL trends.” Here’s what else he said:

“Per NFL Research, nine of the NFL’s top-10 rushers in 2019 were on their rookie contracts — including Cook. The one exception was the Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott. Elliott, Carlos Hyde and Mark Ingram were the only 1,000-yard rushers — out of 16 total — last season who weren’t on their rookie contracts.”

Gordon did discuss how Kubiak has had a 1,000-yard rusher in 15 of his 22 seasons as offensive coordinator or head coach, but he went on to say Cook’s contract woes bode well for running back Alexander Mattison, who had 462 rushes in 2019.

Minnesota LB Eric Kendricks listed as Vikings’ most team friendly deal

Bleacher Report thinks the Vikings are getting a bargain in Minnesota linebacker Eric Kendricks.

While some teams use linebackers as edge rushers quite often, the Vikings like to utilize linebackers who can drop back in coverage and make plays in the run game.

And one of the best linebackers in Minnesota’s system is Eric Kendricks. He had a 83.9 passer rating allowed when in coverage, which is about 20 points lower than the league average against linebackers, according to Pro Football Focus.

Not only that, but PFF also ranked Kendricks as the highest-graded linebacker in the league.

Sean Wagner-McGough of CBS Sports ranked Kendricks as the second-best linebacker in the NFL.

Kendricks’ skill level, on top of a five-year, $50 million contract, has Bleacher Report thinking the Vikings are getting a bargain. The outlet listed Kendricks as the best-value contract on Minnesota.

Here’s what it said about the pick:

“The ’19 first-team All-Pro’s $10 million salary-cap hit for the ’20 season ranks 10th among off-ball linebackers. Kendricks won’t even be the highest-paid linebacker on the Vikings roster this fall; Anthony Barr will be.”

If Barr can progress and Kendricks can keep playing like he has been, the sky is the limit for Minnesota’s linebacking corps.

Over or Under: Projecting Vikings wideout Adam Thielen’s stats for 2020

Here are some over-under totals for Vikings wideout Adam Thielen’s stats in 2020.

Minnesota is coming off a season where it went to the playoffs, and if the team wants to prevent any regression, it will have to rely on Adam Thielen on offense.

Thielen led the Vikings in receiving yards from 2016-18, but then he went through a 2019 season that was marred by a hamstring injury.

Will Thielen be the player he was once, or will he face a down year after recovering from an injury? It’s hard to say right now.

FoxBet.com gave insight into some of Thielen’s projected numbers for 2020. Here are some over-under totals for Thielen. Vikings Wire breaks those down and addresses whether Thielen can get close to those stats or not.

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Vikings had fewest missed tackles in 2019

The Patriots ranked second on the list.

With Mike Zimmer leading the Vikings’ defense, we know that it’s all about fundamentals.

Per Pro Football Focus, the Vikings had just 85 missed tackles in 2019, a mark that was the lowest in the entire NFL.

The core of Eric Kendricks, Harrison Smith and Anthony Harris were big reasons for this.

While those three will return to the team in 2020, this defense is going to look real different with players like Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes, Mackensie Alexander, Andrew Sendejo, Linval Joseph and Everyone Griffen all playing elsewhere.

We’ll see if a younger group can carry on that same success.

Will David Njoku end up in the NFC North?

The 2017 first-round pick asked the Browns for a trade last week.

Browns tight end David Njoku appears to be on the trade block after he requested a trade last week.

Njoku’s first three seasons in Cleveland have been up and down. The former first-round pick finished with 56 catches for 639 yards and four touchdowns in 2018. It appeared as if things were on the right track, but Njoku played in just four games last season after breaking his wrist.

If Njoku doesn’t continue his career in Cleveland and is indeed traded, where could he end up?

There’s a chance we could see him in the NFC North. Not with the Vikings, who have Kyle Rudolph and Irv Smith Jr. at tight end, but instead the Packers.

Green Bay ranked sixth among teams that could be a fit for Njoku per CBS Sports.

Njoku would add another target for Aaron Rodgers, something they didn’t do during the NFL Draft. Njoku would be an instant starter for a tight end group that includes Josiah Deguara, Evan Baylis, Mercedes Lewis, James Looney, Jace Sternerger and Robert Tonyan.

The Packers are certainly a team to watch as this story develops.