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Recapping 2022
Coming off the stink of what can only be called a disappointing end to the Mike Zimmer regime, the influx of young blood into the organization was refreshing. New GM-HC pair Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O'Connell spent a capital on defense, adding Za'Darius Smith, Harrison Phillips, and Jordan Hicks in free agency before spending 5 of their first 6 draft picks on defenders.
What followed was the most titillating 13-win season the league has ever seen. Nobody could figure out if the Vikings were a good team. Even Kirk Cousins himself said that early in the season, the team was trying to figure out if they were going to have to hunker down for a hard year or if they were going to be a threat.
But throughout the season, O'Connell reiterated that these wins did not come via luck (even if they were the 5th luckiest team last year). He spoke again and again about how crucial it was that the team perform in key situations. When it was time to make a play, the team made a play. But ideally, you want to win at least a couple of games by more than one score. You want your team to be in a position where you don't have to make a 4th quarter comeback.
It is with an understanding of the nuanced position of the 2022 Vikings that Adofo-Mensah and O'Connell approached the 2023 season with a "competitive rebuild" in mind. The team is capable of winning in key situations, but the team needs to be capable to putting together and executing a strong gameplan. The talent at several positions on the team was weak. And with a full year of Kirk Cousins under O'Connell's watch, the team comes closer and closer in the search for what the QB position looks like after.
Brian Flores
In 2022, Ed Donatell led the Vikings to one of the worst, blandest, most predictable defenses the league has ever seen. He was brought in to implement the Vic Fangio system that had seen success with the Rams, Broncos, and Bears, but Donatell's playcalling made the scheme look like the corpse of what Fangio was doing in Chicago and Denver.
The Vikings finished 31st in yards allowed per game, 30th in net passing yards allowed per attempt, last in passing first downs allowed per game, and 25th in defensive EPA/play. The team had its worst defensive DVOA since Leslie Frazier was HC. In the playoff loss to the Giants, the Vikings gave up 23 plays of 10+ yards. No other team gave up more than 18 in the playoffs.
Enter: Brian Flores.
In terms of defensive scheme, there is nobody the Vikings could have brought in that would have been a larger shift from the previous iteration of the defense than Flores. Gone is the soft zone coverage that let offenses carve up the middle of the field. In its place: an amoebic aggressive scheme that isn't afraid to strike out trying to hit a home run.
All Other Coaching Staff
Offense
OC Wes Phillips
QB Coach Chris O'Hara
Asst QB Coach/Chief of Spec Projects Grant Udinski (Out: ATL QB Coach Jerrod Johnson)
OL Coach Chris Kuper
Asst OL Coach Justin Rascati
RB Coach/Run Gm Coord Curtis Modkins
WR Coach Keenan McCardell
Asst WR Coach Tony Sorrentino
TE Coach/Passing Gm Coord Brian Angelichio
Pass Gm Specialist/Game Mgmt Coord Ryan Cordell
Off QC Coach Derron Montgomery
Defense (non-Flores)
DL Coach Chris Rumph
Asst DL Coach Patrick Hill (Out: Oregon OL Coach A'Lique Terry)
ILB Coach Mike Siravo (Out: DEN ILB Coach Greg Manusky)
Asst ILB Coach Thad Bogardus (Out: ARI LB Coach Sam Siefkes)
OLB Coach/Pass Rush Specialist Mike Smith
DB Coach Daronte Jones
Asst DB Coach Michael Hutchings (Out: SEA DB Coach Roy Anderson)
Others
ST Coord Matt Daniels
Asst ST Coach Dalmin Gibson (Out: DEN ST Coord Ben Kotwica)
Asst HC Mike Pettine
Def Asst Imarjaye Albury
Def QC Coach Lance Bennett (Out: MIA Def Asst Steve Donatell)
Free Agency
Retained
| Player | Pos | Age | Snap % | New Deal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Hicks | LB | 31 | 81% | 1YR/$3.5M |
| Garrett Bradbury | C | 28 | 69% | 3YR/$15.7M |
| Greg Joseph | K | 29 | 35% | 1YR/$2M |
| Andrew DePaola | LS | 36 | 32% | 3YR/$4M |
| Jonathan Bullard | DT | 30 | 28% | 1YR/$1.3M |
| Alexander Mattison | RB | 25 | 25% | 2YR/$7M |
| Khyiris Tonga | DT | 27 | 24% | 1YR/$940k |
| Blake Brandel | OT | 26 | 24% | 1YR/$940k |
| Austin Schlottman | OG | 28 | 20% | 1YR/$1.1M |
| CJ Ham | FB | 30 | 15% | 3YR/$5.6M (Extension) |
| Ross Blacklock | DT | 25 | 12% | 1YR/$1M |
| Oli Udoh | OT | 26 | 11% | 1YR/$2.6M |
| Chris Reed | OG | 31 | 11% | 1YR/$1.5M |
| Nick Mullens | QB | 28 | 5% | 2YR/$4M |
Departures
| Player | Pos | Age | Snap % | New Team | New Deal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patrick Peterson | CB | 33 | 95% | PIT | 2YR/$14M |
| Eric Kendricks | LB | 31 | 94% | LAC | 2YR/$13.2M |
| Adam Thielen | WR | 33 | 89% | CAR | 3YR/$25M |
| Chandon Sullivan | CB | 27 | 81% | PIT | 1YR/$1.2M |
| Dalvin Cook | RB | 28 | 72% | FA | |
| Za'Darius Smith | EDGE | 31 | 66% | CLE via Trade | 2YR/$11.7M |
| Dalvin Tomlinson | DT | 29 | 48% | CLE | 4YR/$57M |
| Cameron Dantzler | CB | 25 | 44% | BUF | 1YR/$1M |
| Duke Shelley | CB | 27 | 34% | LV | 1YR/$1.3M |
| Irv Smith Jr | TE | 25 | 24% | CIN | 1YR/$1.7M |
| Ben Ellefson | TE | 27 | 4% | Retired | |
| Kris Boyd | CB | 27 | 3% | ARI | 1YR/$1.2M |
| Greg Mancz | C | 31 | 2% | BUF | 1YR/$1.1M |
| Olabisi Johnson | WR | 26 | 0% | FA | |
| Kenny Willekes | EDGE | 26 | 0% | FA | |
| Thomas Hennigan | WR | 25 | 0% | FA |
Arrivals
| Player | Pos | Old Team | New Deal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Oliver | TE | BAL | 3YR/$21M |
| Byron Murphy | CB | ARI | 2YR/$17.5M |
| Marcus Davenport | EDGE | NO | 1YR/$13M |
| Dean Lowry | DT | GB | 2YR/$8.5M |
| Troy Reeder | LB | LAC | 1YR/$1.2M |
| Joejuan Williams | CB | NE | 1YR/$1.1M |
| Brandon Powell | WR | LAR | 1YR/$1.2M |
Draft
Cornerback
Interior Defensive Line
Wide Receiver
Inside Linebacker
Offensive Guard
Quarterback
The Draft
*Indicates measure is taken from Pro Day
1.23 WR Jordan Addison, USC
Profile: Jr | 5'11 | 173lbs | 31.5 Arm\ | 8.75 Hand | 75.125 Wing* | 4.49 40 | 1.57 10 | 34 VJ | 10'2 BJ | 4.19 SS* | 7.05 3c | 5.95 RAS*
2022 Stats: 11 Gm | 59 Rec | 875 Yds | 8 TD | 2 Drops
Trade: SF gives 3.87 to MIN for 3.102, 5.164, 7.222
3.102 CB Mekhi Blackmon, USC
Profile: 6Sr | 5'11" | 178lbs | 31" Arm | 9.25" Hand | 74.625" Wing | 4.47 40 | 1.47 10 | 36 VJ | 10'5" BJ | 11 Bench | 7.44 RAS
2022 Stats: 14 Gm | 66 TKL | 2 TFL | 1 FF | 15 PD | 3 INT
Trade: MIN gives 4.119 to KC for 4.134, 2024 5th\*
4.134 S Jay Ward, LSU
Profile: Sr | 6'0.5" | 188lbs | 32.5" Arm | 8.25" Hand | 76.875" Wing | 4.55 40 | 1.54 10 | 34.5 VJ | 11' BJ | 4.35 Shuttle\ | 7.31 3c | 16 Bench | 6.70 RAS*
2022 Stats: 13 Gm | 60 TKL | 2.5 TFL | 5 PD | 1 INT | 2 FR TD
Trade: MIN gives 5.158, 6.211 to IND for 5.141
5.141 NT Jaquelin Roy, LSU
Profile: Jr | 6'3" | 305lbs | 32.75" Arm | 10.125" Hand | 78.125" Wing | 5.13 40\ | 1.82 10* | 26" VJ* | 8'5" BJ* | 5.00 Shuttle | 8.01 3c | 30 Bench | 3.72 RAS*
2022 Stats: 13 Gm | 49 TKL | 3.5 TFL | 0.5 SCK
5.164 QB Jaren Hall, BYU
Profile: RSr | 6'0" | 207lbs | 39.75" Arm | 9.5" Hand | 71.875" Wing | 4.63 40\ | 1.59 10* | 4.19 Shuttle* | 7.06 3c* | 7.96 RAS*
2022 Stats: 12 Gm | 248 Comp | 376 Att | 66% Comp | 3171 Yds | 31 TD | 6 INT | 86 Rush | 789 Rush Yds | 9 RUsh TD
7.222 RB DeWayne McBride, UAB
Profile: Jr | 5'10" | 209lbs | 30.625" Arms | 9.5" Hands | 73.125" Wing | 20 Bench\*
2022 Stats: 11 Gm | 233 Att | 1713 Yds | 19 TD | 7.4 Y/A | 2 Rec | 10 Rec Yds
UDFA
FB Zach Ojile, Minnesota Duluth
WR Cephus Johnson, Southeastern Louisiana
WR Lucky Jackson, W Kentucky / XFL DC Defenders
WR Malik Knowles, Kansas St
WR Grant Maag, North Dakota
WR Thayer Thomas, NC State
TE Ben Sims, Baylor
OL Alan Ali, TCU
OT Jacky Chen, Pace
EDGE Andre Carter II, Army
EDGE Junior Aho, SMU
DT Calvin Avery, Illinois
LB Abraham Beauplan, Marshall
LB Wilson Huber, Cincinnati
LB Ivan Pace Jr, Cincinnati
CB CJ Coldon, Oklahoma
CB NaJee Thompson, Georgia Southern
CB Jaylin Williams, Indiana
K Jack Podlesny, Georgia
Roster Breakdown - Offense
QB (Kirk Cousins, Jaren Hall, Nick Mullens)
RB (Alexander Mattison, Ty Chandler, Kene Nwangwu, DeWayne McBride)
FB (CJ Ham, Zach Ojile)
WR (Justin Jefferson, KJ Osborn, Jordan Addison, Jalen Nailor, Jalen Reagor, Brandon Powell, Lucky Jackson, Trishton Jackson, Cephus Johnson III, Garrett Maag, Blake Proehl, Thayer Thomas)
OT (Christian Darrisaw, Brian O'Neill, Blake Brandel, Bobby Evans, Vederian Lowe, Sam Schlueter, Jacky Chen)
OG (Ezra Cleveland, Ed Ingram, Oli Udoh)
C (Garrett Bradbury, Austin Schlottman, Josh Sokol, Alan Ali)
Roster Breakdown - Defense
EDGE (Danielle Hunter, Marcus Davenport, DJ Wonnum, Pat Jones II, Luiji Vilain, Curtis Weaver, Benton Whitley)
DT (Harrison Phillips, Dean Lowry, Jonathan Bullard, Khyiris Tonga, James Lynch, Esezi Otomewo, Jaquelin Roy, Ross Blacklock, Junior Aho, Calvin Avery, Sheldon Day, TJ Smith)
LB (Jordan Hicks, Brian Asamoah II, Troy Reeder, Troy Dye, Ivan Pace Jr, Abraham Beauplan, Wilson Huber, William Kwenkeu)
CB (Byron Murphy, Joejuan Williams, Andrew Booth Jr, Akayleb Evans, Mekhi Blackmon, Kalon Barnes, CJ Coldon Jr, Tay Gowan, NaJee Thompson, Jaylin Williams)
S (Harrison Smith, Cam Bynum, Lewis Cine, Josh Metellus, Jay Ward, Theo Jackson)
Roster Breakdown - Special Teams
K (Greg Joseph, Jack Podlesny)
P (Ryan Wright)
LS (Andrew DePaola)
Schedule Prediction
TB: L 20-24
@ PHI (TNF): L 38-31
LAC: W 30-24
@ CAR: W 18-13
KC: L 33-42
@ CHI: L 13-17
SF (MNF): L 27-9
@ GB: W 31-20
@ ATL: W 33-21
NO: W 26-20
@ DEN (SNF): W 24-21
CHI (MNF): W 41-24
BYE
@ LV: W 38-23
@ CIN: L 41-30
DET: L 24-27
GB (SNF): W 34-27
@ DET: W 29-26
OVERALL: 10-7
Scheme
Year 1 under Kevin O'Connell was a breath of fresh air compared to what life had been like with Mike Zimmer's carousel of OCs that much too closely resembled the professorship of the Defense of the Dark Arts classroom. In last year's Offseason Review, I talked about how O'Connell's Rams were not the pass-happy offense they had been portrayed as, but instead merely looked pass happy because of how they employed their skill position players. That is, the deployment of 11 personnel (and Cooper Kupp's use as a proxy TE) made the offense more multiple and more able to quickly threaten an aggressive deep pass.
Where the O'Connell distinguished himself from his previous employer was in how he adapted the scheme to his personnel. Cousins thrives in play action. Another large shift in O'Connell's philosophy was the involvement of the TEs, especially after the Hockenson acquisition. CJ Ham also got usage in the scheme as opposed to O'Connell's previous employer which didn't even carry a FB on the roster.
Today's NFL offenses are largely split into two categories: Shanahan Scheme and Everyone Else. And on the Shanahan Scheme side lies a spectrum. On one end is Kyle Shanahan's dream offense. And on the other end is Sean McVay.
O'Connell began his Vikings' tenure closer to the McVay end of the spectrum. But over the course of the year he slowly shifted closer to a Shanahan-style scheme. With the addition Josh Oliver, O'Connell has even more loudly proclaimed his desire to shift to more heavy personnel as his base package. We'll see how this shift goes, as the team is also witnessing turnover at RB and WR while keeping constant a shaky offensive line. But the path here is clear: build in the presence of a run threat to allow Minnesota's star WR talent to shine.
Defensive scheme was touched on extensively in the Flores section of the Review.
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