Tag: Minnesota Viking News

Injury updates on Vikings DT Michael Pierce, RB Dalvin Cook

Here are injury updates for Vikings RB Dalvin Cook and DT Michael Pierce.

Michael Pierce has made a strong impact in his first active season as the Vikings’ nose tackle. However, he had to leave the game in Week 4, and now he could be looking at a long absence.

According to Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune, Pierce could be out a while with the elbow injury he suffered in last week’s game.

That’s a blow to the Vikings defensive line unit, but it’s not dire, due to the depth the team has there. Although, the Vikings’ most-obvious move to make is one that Mike Zimmer said the team will not do:

Minnesota could move Dalvin Tomlinson over to the nose tackle spot, his primary position before this year. Then, Sheldon Richardson can slot in at the three-technique defensive tackle position. But Zimmer already said they wouldn’t do that, per The Athletic’s Chad Graff. Maybe the Vikings head coach isn’t showing his cards before a must-win or maybe he likes someone better at the three-technique spot.

Though Dalvin Cook is not 100%, the Vikings running back is planning on playing through an ankle injury. Cook said that “part of the game is playing through pain,” per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin.

Cook will be a big boost, but if he ends up being unavailable, expect fellow running backs Alexander Mattison and Ameer Abdullah to step up. Minnesota can also use Kene Nwangwu if he ends up being healthy enough to play.

Report: Sheldon Richardson turned down more money from Browns to sign with Vikings

Sheldon Richardson actually signed with the Minnesota Vikings for a little less than what he was offered from the Cleveland Browns, according to a report.

The Vikings had enough money to reunite with one of their former players this offseason: Sheldon Richardson, who arrives after a solid stint with the Browns.

What’s interesting is that — according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com — Cleveland actually offered more money than Minnesota, and Richardson still chose the Vikings for a little less. Cabot also wrote:

“Richardson wanted to return to the Browns, but it was more about principle after they terminated his contract in April to save $12 million on the salary cap. A little bump in the salary may have brought him back, but the Browns set their price and stuck to it. Richardson admitted that he didn’t get the deal he wanted from the Browns to return, and is now reunited with Vikings coach Mike Zimmer, for whom he played in 2018.”

Richardson might not start for the Vikings, but the Minnesota defense is still getting an important player. He is stylistically a lot different than the two presumptive starters on the interior: Michael Pierce and Dalvin Tomlinson. So as a rotational player who can rush the passer, Richardson is a great fit.

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If there’s a 17th game, who will the Vikings play?

If the NFL does expand to 17 games, which team will the Minnesota Vikings be facing in addition to the 2021 opponents already set?

Typically speaking, it’s easy to see the Vikings’ opponents for the next season once the regular season concludes.

Minnesota fans can still see how the team will stack up against 16 different opponents, but a possible 17th game being added for 2021 complicates things.

As reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport, the league is planning on expanding to a 17-game regular season next year.

Per Pelissero and Rapoport, each team would play an extra interconference matchup, which will be based on divisional standings from the preceding season.

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported that the AFC West and the NFC North will have a one-game crossover. With that and the divisional standing in mind, the Vikings would play against the Los Angeles Chargers for the 17th game.

There are no official reports yet as to whether that will be a home game or road game for the Vikings.

The league has to first negotiate at least one new media contract in order to make the move to 17 games next season, per the collective bargaining agreement (H/T Pelissero and Rapoport). So it’s not set in stone, but the Vikings playing a 17th game is a definite possibility.

Report: Vikings RB Dalvin Cook will hold out until he receives a revised contract

Vikings running back Dalvin Cook will reportedly not participate in any team-related activities until he receives a “reasonable” deal, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported.

Vikings running back Dalvin Cook is currently still on his rookie contract.

Now, he will reportedly be out of any team-related activities until he receives a “reasonable” deal, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported.

“Without a reasonable extension, he will not be showing up for camp or beyond,” a source told ESPN.

Cook is coming off a season in which he had 1,135 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2019. Both those stats were career bests.

However, Cook has dealt with injuries in the past. He has missed 19 games in his three-year NFL career. Although, one of those games was Week 17 against the Bears, where the reserves played due to a lack of playoff implications.

The Vikings currently have a little more than $12.2 million in cap space for 2020, according to Over The Cap. Cook’s cap number is currently just over $2 million for 2020, per Over The Cap, a relative bargain for how Cook performed for the team this past season.

Over The Cap founder Jason Fitzgerald predicted that an extension for Cook would probably run the Vikings $13 million a year. However, Fitzgerald also thinks that if Minnesota lets Cook walk, then the running back wouldn’t hit $10 million in free agency.

Vikings safeties Anthony Harris, Harrison Smith crack PFF’s list of top-50 players

Check out where Pro Football Focus ranked Harrison Smith and Anthony Harris in its list of top-50 players!

Pro Football Focus seems to be a fan of Vikings safeties Anthony Harris and Harrison Smith.

PFF gave Harris a grade of 91.1 out of 100 for his performance in 2019. Harris was the highest-graded safety in the NFL last season.

Harrison Smith, who received an 88.4, was close behind. He ranked fourth out of safeties across the league last season.

Pro Football Focus recently ranked Harris and Smith, along with the rest of the Vikings coverage unit in 2019, third overall.

Harris had six interceptions, tied for an NFL best. All that added up to PFF ranking Harris as the No. 30 best player in the NFL.

Smith, who had three interceptions, cracked the list at No. 35.

The outlet also ranked Danielle Hunter 50th on its list.

Hunter became the youngest NFL player to get to 50 sacks for his career at age 25. He finished 2019 with 14.5 in total, the second consecutive year he’s had that sack total.

Vikings WR Adam Thielen: ‘I probably wouldn’t be in the NFL if this would’ve happened my rookie year’

Adam Thielen thinks if the coronavirus pandemic happened when he was rookie, he wouldn’t be in the league

Adam Thielen has become one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, but he had to move up the depth chart to get there.

In a story that has been told many times, Thielen was a wideout from Mankato State University, who did not get invited to the NFL combine, or get drafted.

He ended up signing with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2013. After that, he kept making plays on special teams and as a wideout, until Minnesota had no choice but to play him more.

Then, Thielen broke out in 2016, and has become the wide receiver he is today. However, he thinks that if the coronavirus pandemic hit during his rookie year, things would have been different.

“Honestly, I probably wouldn’t be in the NFL if this would’ve happened my rookie year,” he told The Athletic’s Chad Graff.

Thielen suffered a hamstring injury in 2019, and he only played in 10 regular season games. Now, he will have to step up and take even more responsibility in the passing game on account of Stefon Diggs getting traded to the Bills this offseason.

Predicting the Vikings’ starters for the 2020 NFL season

Who will the Vikings start in 2020? See Vikings Wire’s predictions with brief analysis!

Minnesota has had its share of offseason turnover, but the team has attempted to reload through the draft and free agency.

The Vikings drafted Justin Jefferson, who can come in and replace some of Stefon Diggs’ production. Diggs was traded to the Bills for draft picks.

The team also saw a mass exodus in the secondary, most notably two starting cornerbacks and a nickel corner.

There are some reasons I picked more than 22 starting positions for this piece, despite there only being 11 starters on each side of the ball.

The first is because of the nickel package that the Vikings so often employ. The nickel corner is important so I predicted who that will be. The next is that the Vikings can play three wide receivers, so I guessed who those three would be.

Who gets the starting spots? See below for all the predictions and analysis!

Offensive line:

Riley Reiff, Pat Elflein, Garrett Bradbury, Dru Samia, Brian O’Neill

Analysis: Reiff keeps his spot on the offensive line, beating out Ezra Cleveland. Cleveland could possibly earn the starting position later on, but he might need time to adjust. Samia steps into the starting right guard spot to replace Josh Kline.

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Vikings coach Mike Zimmer on the team’s young talent: ‘kind of energizes us as coaches’

Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer said the offseason approach reminds him of college, with all the young players coming in.

The Vikings have seen veteran players sign elsewhere in free agency, but Mike Zimmer didn’t seem too pessimistic about the situation while discussing it with reporters recently.

“It reminds me, honestly, of college when we had five defensive starters graduate and you’ve got young guys come in … that part kind of energizes us as coaches,” Zimmer told Zone Coverage’s Sam Ekstrom and other reporters.

Minnesota has a lot to replace, but the Vikings went and drafted some players who could fill voids. The Vikings traded Stefon Diggs to the Bills this offseason, but added Justin Jefferson, a wideout from LSU, with one of the picks Minnesota received from Buffalo.

There were mass departures at cornerback. Trae Waynes, Xavier Rhodes and Mackensie Alexander all left in the offseason. Waynes, a starter, and Alexander, a nickel corner, both signed with the Bengals. Rhodes signed with the Colts.

So it’s good to see Zimmer is energized by the new players on the team. Hopefully, some of that energy translates to the rookies and recent signings adjusting to the NFL sooner rather than later.

POLL: Who do you think will be the most-improved Vikings player in 2020?

Who do you think will be the most-improved player on the Vikings for 2020? Vote in the article!

Minnesota found success in 2019, but there are still plenty of players who could improve.

There are players who might improve by earning bigger roles, such as Mike Hughes and Ifeadi Odenigbo.

There are also some players who could find statistical production of year’s past, such as Anthony Barr and Riley Reiff.

Not only that, but there are players who could go from pretty good to great, such as Kirk Cousins and Kyle Rudolph.

Linebacker Eric Kendricks was picked as Vikings’ most-improved player by Pro Football Focus this season.

Below are some possible candidates who could be the most-improved on the Vikings. So, Vikings fans, what will it be? Who do you think the team’s most improved player will be in 2020?

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Report: Vikings will start virtual offseason program April 27

The Vikings will adjust to the coronavirus pandemic by having the team take part in classroom work virtually, according to the Pioneer Press.

The Vikings will meet virtually for offseason work, according to a report.

Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press said a source told him that Minnesota will take part in a virtual offseason program, beginning on April 27, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

A source told him that the team will do classroom work, but not require virtual workouts. Other teams across the league have workouts virtually with a trainer.

Players will have several hours of classwork a day for four to five days a week. The players earn $235 for each classroom session they attend.

There have been reports of players doing virtual workouts and keeping in contact with team personnel, such as the Vikings’ Kyle Rudolph.

The NFL and the NFLPA agreed to a remote program last Monday that will replace offseason drills.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins told the Pioneer Press and other reporters about how his training will not be changing from a regular offseason too much.

“(It’s) very little actual football on the field and the physical activity is more in the weight room, which is really what guys should be doing on their own at this time.”