Justin Jefferson Says Vikings Have a ‘Sleeper’ Playmaker
Many local and national voices have promoted safety Josh Metellus as an impending breakout personality for the 2023 Minnesota Vikings. When training camp reached the two-week point, linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. was — and is — all the rage.
Justin Jefferson Says Vikings Have a ‘Sleeper’ Playmaker
Well, the reigning Offensive Player of the Year has a ‘sleeper’ for the Vikings in mind, and his name is K.J. Osborn.
Justin Jefferson, the OPOY, recently discussed several topics with Bleacher Report, and Osborn was on the menu. The Vikings superstar chatted about his contract, the role of running backs in the contemporary NFL, his pursuit of a Super Bowl in 2023, enjoyment with Kirk Cousins as his QB1 — and Osborn.
“KJ has always always been the sleeper. People don’t really focus on KJ as much as they need to. I saw like a week or two ago, they came out with a list of the top wide receiver duos in the league, and we weren’t top 10,” Jefferson told Bleacher Report‘s Tyler Conway.
Osborn enters Year Four as a pro in 2023 and has established himself as a clutch playmaker, always there when the Vikings need a 4th Quarter reception — or help with the largest comeback in NFL history.
Jefferson elaborated on the sleeper status for Osborn, “So I sent it to [Osborn] and told him that we gotta prove everybody wrong, we gotta get to work, and he agreed. He wants to fill in that role of being that number two guy and being a big part of this offense.”
Meanwhile, the Vikings released the first ‘unofficial’ depth chart of the 2023 season, and somewhat predictably, Osborn was listed as WR2 — or Jefferson’s foremost running mate. Jalen Nailor lived at WR3, with rookie Jordan Addison tentatively penciled at WR4.
Unless Addison barnstorms the preseason and the rest of training camp, Osborn is on track to earn WR2 snaps — Adam Thielen’s old job — in 2023, at least for the first few weeks.
Jefferson also commented on his team’s commitment to maintain its impressive 13-4 record and NFC North-winning standing from last year. “The season as a whole is motivation for us. Having 13 wins, that’s already a goal. We’re just trying to better that, have way less close games, and hopefully reaching that goal at the end of the season of being a Super Bowl champ.”
The Vikings take another step toward the regular season on Thursday night, traveling to Seattle for a preseason showdown with the Seahawks.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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