The 8 Best Players on the Vikings’ Roster

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The 2024 Minnesota Vikings are supposed to win six to eight games in 2024, a season that most consider a springboard to 2025 and beyond.

The club said goodbye to Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter in March and hello to J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner in April, among others, in the last three months.

The 8 Best Players on the Vikings’ Roster

And in an attempt to nibble at a fringe playoff berth, the Vikings will need significant input from their top players. Without further ado, these are the eight best Vikings players on the current roster ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = best player).

8. Blake Cashman (LB)

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A newcomer via free agency from the Houston Texans, Cashman will replace Jordan Hicks from last year’s depth chart. He absolutely busted out in 2023, tallying an 83.7 Pro Football Focus grade.

His pass coverage skills will fit wonderfully into Brian Flores’ defense. Cashman could climb higher on this list before too long, but he needs another year to prove sustainability as a fringe Pro Bowler.

He’s from Eden Prairie.

7. Jordan Addison (WR)

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Addison performed marvelously as a rookie in 2023 — when Kirk Cousins slung the rock. After Joshua Dobbs and Jaren Hall took over, the youngster’s production diminished, and Addison exited stage left from Rookie of the Year discussions.

He hopes Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy play closer to Cousins’ aptitudes than Dobbs’.

6. Jonathan Greenard (OLB)

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Green Bay Packers tackled Dennis Kelly (79) and provided pass protection from Houston Texans defensive end Jonathan Greenard (52) during their preseason game Saturday, August 14, 2021, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. The Houston Texans beat the Green Bay Packers 26-7. Packers15 22. © Milwaukee Journal SentinelMARK HOFFMAN/MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL / USA TODAY NETWORK.

This man will directly replace Danielle Hunter, and he just so happened to fire up 12.5 sacks in 2023, his age-26 season. The man is trending up and would’ve ranked higher on this list if he had back-to-back years of upper-echelon output. To a degree, he’s still in prove-it territory.

However, Greenard’s 78.2 PFF grade in 2023 speaks for itself. He’s also a fantastic run defender; not all EDGE rushers fit that category.

5. Aaron Jones (RB)

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Aaron Jones was a Top 3 running back in the NFL during December and January, which is probably why the Vikings handed him a nifty one-year contract. The veteran runner helped propel Green Bay to the postseason and chip off the Dallas Cowboys.

With the health caveat, he’s a top-five Viking this season, even at age 29.

4. T.J. Hockenson (TE)

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Hockenson might be missing to start the season, but he remains one of the most complete tight ends in the sport. He also fundamentally changed the Vikings’ offense — it only took about a week — when he arrived in 2022, and Minnesota’s trade with Detroit felt like a win-win for both sides.

Now, folks will monitor his injury recovery intently this summer.

3. Brian O’Neill (RT)

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A Viking through and through, O’Neill was responsible for keeping the offensive line afloat when the waters were choppy from 2018 to 2021.

He hasn’t experienced a PFF grade south of 70.0 in a season since his rookie year and is one of the staples of Vikings football after six seasons. The man’s the real deal.

2. Christian Darrisaw (LT)

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Darrisaw needs his damn Pro Bowl kudos sooner rather than later, but he keeps getting boxed out by old war-horse left tackles during voting.

Fans craved a cornerstone left tackle after McKinnie left in 2011, and ten years later, Darrisaw arrived. He consistently ranks in the Top 5 of all credible OT metrics and is Minnesota’s second-best player accordingly.

1. Justin Jefferson (WR)

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No caption needed.


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.