Questions Answered: The Vikings’ New Player, the 2 Key Injuries, Brian Flores
The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by VikingsTerritory. Today is the December 4th edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to [email protected].
Questions Answered: The Vikings’ New Player, the 2 Key Injuries, Brian Flores
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: Will the new CB, Kelvin Joseph, play on defense?
Answer: Unlikely, especially not right away (but we were wrong about Jamin Davis last week; he played a little bit against the Cardinals).
The Vikings’ coaching staff has already hyped up rookie corner Dwight McGlothern. Plus, veteran defender Fabian Moreau probably deserves another look before inserting Joseph on defense.
It’s also worth noting that Joseph hasn’t played consistently on defense since 2022. Even then, he played about 170 snaps.
Moreau could get the start if Stephon Gilmore is on the shelf, but don’t rule out McGlothern for Week 14 action. Head coach Kevin O’Connell talked about Nudie — that’s McGlothern’s nickname — this week: “We’ve got ‘Nudie’ on the practice squad, or I should say Dwight McGlothern. But we’ve got him at any point in time, that we’ve had clearly we have a lot of confidence in.”
O’Connell said, “We’ll see,” on McGlothern possibly getting the nod against the Falcons, a decision likely up to Flores, the almighty defensive architect.
Consider Joseph a special teams asset with emergency defensive help upside.
Q: Will … Will Reichard and Stephon Gilmore play this weekend?
Answer: Reichard is trending in the right direction; we say yes to his likelihood. And we’d bet Gilmore takes a game off to fully ensure he’s ready for the stretch run. Those are just guesses, however.
O’Connell said Wednesday about the returns of Reichard and long snapper Andrew DePaola, who also missed four games: “Barring any setbacks, hoping to have both of them back.”
He said about Gilmore, “He’s given us a lot of great snaps. We’re gonna make him sure that we’re smart with him, but by no means hold him back if he’s ready to go. Still early enough in the week where I can’t really project that right now, but today, he will keep on rehabbing and recovering.”
It sounds like yay for Reichard and probably nay for Gilmore.
Q: If Brian Flores leaves the Vikings, which team will he coach?
Answer: The Cincinnati Bengals or Cleveland Browns are our best bet.
Of course — like the rest of ya’s — we hope Flores stays in Minneapolis and that the team’s brass makes him the highest-paid defensive coordinator in the league.
But if he bolts, a team like the Bengals, with an established offense and quarterback, makes sense.
4 Vikings in the Race to Win 2024 Awards
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.