Questions Answered: Depth Chart Head-Scratchers for Vikings, Sam Darnold in 2024, Brian Asamoah
The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by VikingsTerritory. Today is the August 8th edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to [email protected].
Questions Answered: Depth Chart Head-Scratchers for Vikings, Sam Darnold in 2024, Brian Asamoah
Also, please note: These are opinion-based responses. Some answers will be incorrect from time to time. But we’ll try to keep that to a minimum.
Q: What stood off the page for you the most about the Vikings’ first depth chart?
Answer: Several items. Here’s a list.
- J.J. McCarthy apparently battling for QB2 versus Nick Mullens after a training camp of looking even-steven with Sam Darnold. That might just be a “roster thing” Kevin O’Connell does for rookies, though.
- Robert Tonyan as the TE5 — and evidently battling for a roster spot. Some thought he could be TE1 with T.J. Hockenson scheduled to miss the start of the season.
- Duke Shelley as CB7-ish, and like Tonyan, trying to make the 53-man roster.
- Fabian Moreau, who just joined the team last week, already lapping Andrew Booth on the CB portion of the roster.
- Outside linebacker Gabriel Murphy already around OLB5. The UDFA steam is real.
- WR Jeshaun Jones, also an undrafted commodity, living around WR6. He easily could’ve been WR11 or so.
- Andrew Booth and Lewis Cine doing nothing at training camp to move the needle.
Q: What would Sam Darnold have to do to get a second contract with the Vikings and remain the QB1 in 2025?
Answer: We don’t think there’s anything he can do — short of carrying the team to the Super Bowl or something similar.
The Vikings are J.J. McCarthy’s team, and Darnold is in the house as truly just a patchover situation. Minnesota will pivot to McCarthy before too long, and it might even happen early this season. We don’t believe Darnold has a place on the team for the long haul. He’d have to play otherworldly — like MVP-caliber — to keep McCarthy at bay into next season.
Q: Will Brian Asamoah make the September roster?
A: We think so.
Minnesota will likely keep Ivan Pace Jr., Blake Cashman, Kamu Grugier-Hill, and Asamoah as the four linebackers. Jabril Cox has a chance to upset Asamoah and steal his roster spot, but we think Asamoah will ultimately make the team.
If he does not, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah would be looking at Andrew Booth, Lewis Cine, and Brian Asamoah perhaps removed from the team just 28 months after he personally drafted them. Not good. Not good at all.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
You must be logged in to post a comment.