Ezra Cleveland and Christian Darrisaw
The Minnesota Vikings sent seven players to the Pro Bowl in 2022, an impressive showing after a 13-4 season and a division title.
While seven players is a tough act to follow, the club will undoubtedly send more this season, and some could even earn first-time nods.
These are those men in alphabetical order.
Christian Darrisaw is evidently one more year from receiving leaguewide respect. He’s already accepted as one of the game’s top left tackles, but Pro Bowl voters curiously snubbed his 2022 candidacy. The cornerstone left tackle missed three games last year, apparently a blow to one’s Pro Bowl aspirations.
If Darrisaw continues his upper-echelon production in 2023 — he probably will — it’ll be a crime if he fails to, alas, snag Pro Bowl kudos. The man already deserves them.
Davenport spoke this offseason about “starting from zero” once he arrived to the Vikings. He’s even wearing the No. 0 on his jersey.
The ex-Saint has 1st-Round draft stock, looking for a fresh start with the Vikings — one that could pay off to the tune of a Pro Bowl. Inconsistency and injuries sometimes plagued Davenport in New Orleans, but playing alongside Danielle Hunter (we think) in 2023, should free up pass-rushing immortality for Davenport.
Davenport’s Pro Football Focus resume is wildly impressive:
2018 = 71.8
2019 = 84.1
2020 = 73.3
2021 = 88.8
2022 = 76.8
If there were such thing as a ‘bellcow cornerback,’ well, the Vikings would be asking that duty from Murphy.
As of late June, Murphy is the only cornerback on the Vikings roster with prolonged starting experience, meaning he has to meet or exceed expectations. Otherwise, the defense could resemble the 2022 edition, and no Vikings fan anywhere was proud of the group.
Should Murphy perform like he did Arizona for the Vikings — and stay healthy — he just might grab Pro Bowl recognition.
Perhaps a little-known fact about Phillips, he didn’t become a full-time starter until 2022, his first season in Minnesota. Buffalo Bills fans knew for a couple of seasons that Phillips was productive, but his first team didn’t find a starter’s spot for him.
Fast forward to 2022, and Phillips started all 17 Vikings games en route to a spiffy 72.1 Pro Football Focus grade. He likely needs one more season to turn Pro Bowl voters’ heads, and that could be in 2023.
Beyond the shadow of a doubt, Phillips will start again this season (barring injury, of course).
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.