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.