Standout Trio Will Determine Vikings’ Season
This week, the Minnesota Vikings kicked off training camp at TCO Performance Center, and the 2024 season is officially underway. While no one is expecting much from the team in purple, three early standouts could be the difference in making waves.
Standout Trio Will Determine Vikings’ Season
Virtually every projection system has the Minnesota Vikings checking in somewhere around six or seven wins. That is because of roster turnover at key positions and coming off a season of failed expectations. However, 2023 was more about injury than ineptitude, and 2024 could be more about development than prognostication.
No one is a bigger linchpin to the Vikings’ future success than Sam Darnold. His abilities as a starting quarterback, employed by the greatest franchise of his professional lifetime, are something no one can quantify. At one point, he was seen as a franchise quarterback, and it landed him a first-round draft selection. Maybe that pedigree is still in there, and Kevin O’Connell can be the one to pull it out.
Recently, Dustin Baker touched on a trio of early standouts for Minnesota during training camp. Darnold was among those, followed by a pair of skill position players. If the team is competitive in 2024, it will largely be because of the efforts that those three put forward.
Last season, the Vikings watched Alexander Mattison trip over every opportunity to capitalize on a runway for the first time in his career. Multiple running backs were brought in to take his job, and despite injuries to some of them, the initial starter still couldn’t hold it down. Aaron Jones is a legitimate talent, and if he can remain healthy, the opposition will have problems.
No wide receiver pairing in the league has a better one-two punch than Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. The latter may be suspended for a period due to boneheaded decisions, but with the duo on the field, they will be tough to stop. Behind that group, though, is a massive question mark. Brandon Powell could break out, but Jalen Nailor is the former draft picked to click. He has also dealt with injury concerns, but the talent is clearly there.
Should Minnesota experience a handful of things going right, especially for these three players, they will find themselves laughing at any early-season notions of their expectations.
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Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes weekly for Twins Daily. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
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