Tag: Alec Lewis

Vikings could be big players in 2025 defensive free agent market

Minnesota Vikings beat reporter Alec Lewis reports the team could look to add a number of defensive free agents next year, like Kenny Clark.

Brian Flores and the Minnesota Vikings defense were much improved last season over their 2022 counterparts. The schemes that Flores drew up for the defense last season gave teams fits all season. We’ll have to see how this year’s version matches up to last year’s team, but there’s already talk about the team being heavy players in next year’s crop of free agents.

The Vikings should have a lot of cap space to work with next season, and there are several holes on this year’s squad that have yet to be filled. While it seems unlikely Minnesota fills those holes in any meaningful way this season, next year could be the year. But who could they be targeting on the free agent market?

According to The Athletic’s Minnesota Vikings beat reporter Alec Lewis, there are several enticing names the team could be players for:

Two names: Kenny Clark and D.J. Reed. The Vikings will likely peruse the market for DTs and CBs next year, and these two might be the best available at their positions. But there are other possibilities, too. How about 49ers CB Charvarius Ward, Patriots DT Davon Godchaux or Eagles EDGE Josh Sweat? These aren’t A-level names and they’re all nearing 30, but this is the aisle you’re shopping in on the open market.

There’s a strong ‘veteran leadership’ theme running through all of those names, as each either has extensive playoff and championship experience or has played for legendary head coaches. It seems clear the Vikings are looking to bolster the leadership aspect of their team for the years to come.

It seems Sam Darnold will decide when J.J. McCarthy will play

It’s inevitable that J.J. McCarthy will eventually be the Minnesota Vikings’ quarterback. But when that happens will be up to Sam Darnold.

The biggest question swirling around the Minnesota Vikings as they head into training camp is, by far, the situation at quarterback. While it’s been made clear by the coaches that Sam Darnold is the QB1 heading into camp, the question of how long it will take for rookie J.J. McCarthy to overtake him will persist until the change comes. But when will that be?

The answer to that is up to Darnold. As The Athletic’s Minnesota Vikings beat writer Alec Lewis reports, it will be a matter of how Darnold plays determining when McCarthy eventually takes the reins. If Darnold plays well throughout the season, he’ll continue to be the starter. As Lewis puts it:

Definitely [will not see J.J. McCarthy] in Week 1. Probably not in the first quarter of the season. Potentially not even in the first half of the season. There is even a scenario in which he shouldn’t be expected to start at all this year… If Darnold is dominating, dishing the ball easily and limiting turnovers, and the Vikings are winning, why mess with the chemistry or team trajectory? Similarly, if Darnold is struggling, and the Vikings are not competitive, it’ll be difficult for O’Connell to quiet the noise for McCarthy.

So the question then becomes, “How well is Darnold likely to perform, and for how long?” Darnold’s detractors will point to his tenure with the Jets and Panthers to prove that, despite being the second quarterback taken—and third pick overall—in the 2018 NFL Draft, he simply does not have the stuff.

Supporters of Darnold will contend that Darnold was thrown into a bad situation with the Jets and Panthers, which were not set up for his growth and development. Now, with a few years under his belt and in a much more quarterback-friendly situation, he’ll finally have a chance to unlock his potential.

Supporters will also add in the fact that Darnold has never had a supporting cast like the one he’ll experience with the Vikings. He had a great supporting cast in San Francisco, yes, but he was never given a real opportunity at that job. He was always a backup and saw very limited action backing up Brock Purdy.

In truth, the answer probably lies somewhere in between. Darnold’s situation will likely mitigate some of the disasters we saw during his time in New York and Carolina, but the fact that the light bulb hasn’t turned on yet likely means that he’s not going to suddenly turn into a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback even with the supporting cast.

We’ll have to wait and see what that means for McCarthy and his inevitable rise to the top of the quarterback depth chart.

Will the 2024 Vikings offense have more 21 personnel?

The Minnesota Vikings were in 21 personnel less than 10 percent of the time in 2023. Will that number increase with the 2024 squad?

The best offenses in the NFL can keep defenses on their toes. Generally speaking, they achieve that by having a balanced run/pass attack, employing pre-snap motion to create favorable matchups, and having diverse personnel groupings to also create favorable matchups.

The Minnesota Vikings offense sometimes got predictable, thanks to a rather anemic rushing attack in 2023. The team made several moves in the off-season to rectify this problem, but will that lead to more personnel groupings in the Vikings offense for 2024? One Vikings beat writer seems to think it may.

The Vikings signed former Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones to improve the running game. But the pass protection skills of an in-house back have The Athletic’s Alec Lewis envisioning more 21 personnel.

In his article outlining quick thoughts on each of the 90 players currently on the Vikings roster, Lewis highlighted C.J. Ham’s consistent ability to pass protect and pondered at the idea of him and Jones being on the field together in 21 personnel:

Sneaky solid third-down pass protector. Vikings used 21 personnel 7.3 percent of the time last year, and that number could jump in 2024.

As Lewis points out, the Vikings were in 21 personnel—that is, two running backs and one tight end—less than 10 percent of the time in 2023. Adding diversity to their personnel groupings should help the team be more unpredictable next season. Whether or not that results in a better offense remains to be seen, but more options in an offense are rarely a bad thing.

Vikings DT Harrison Phillips prepping for increased workload in 2024

Entering a contract year, Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Harrison Phillips is changing his routine to prepare for a higher workload.

Brian Flores and the Minnesota Vikings defense saw somewhat of a resurgence in 2023. The 2024 squad will look a lot different from the 2023 team, particularly up front. A big hole was left when Danielle Hunter left in free agency, one that the Vikings hope can be filled by first-round pick Dallas Turner. One thing that remains the same, though, is the presence of defensive tackle Harrison Phillips.

Phillips has been a fixture on the inside of the Vikings defensive line and has earned his place as one of the leaders on the defense — and the team as a whole. As Phillips prepares to enter his seventh NFL season and his third with the Vikings, he’s reportedly changing his off-season regimen.

According to The Athletic’s Vikings beat reporter Alec Lewis, Phillips has changed up his preparation to be “more pliable” this season in anticipation of an increased workload.

Phillips saw his most work last season, being on the field for a career-high 839 defensive snaps, which amounted to 74% of the team’s defensive plays — also a career-high for Phillips.

Phillips’ usage cannot go much higher, but if his playtime does increase even further, it sounds like he’s doing everything he can to be up for the challenge.