Sep 14, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Minnesota Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. (7) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports.
With just one monumental game left in the 2024 regular season for the Minnesota Vikings, let’s take stock and look at the three most improved Vikings in 2024.
A couple of players who deserve a shoutout include Jalen Nailor, who has proved himself a capable WR3 with six touchdowns despite a mid-season wobble with some dropped catches. Patrick Jones has a career-high seven sacks, compared to just five over his first three seasons. Several players have improved to varying degrees, but three clearly stand out to me as the most improved Vikings.
Who else? Even as someone who always regarded Sam Darnold as having the ability to succeed in the right environment, I never envisioned this level of immediate success. He’s on the fringe of the MVP conversation during a phenomenal season. With one game to go, Darnold has comfortably surpassed 4000 passing yards for the first time in his career and has 35 passing touchdowns. He has a passer rating of 106.4 and an overall grade from Pro Football Focus of 85.8.
Darnold has people believing he can lead the Vikings to the Super Bowl — something I never expected to say this season. Huge credit has to go to Kevin O’Connell and his coaching team, including OC Wes Phillips and quarterback coach Josh McCown. Darnold also has an excellent supporting cast on his offense, including Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, TJ Hockenson, and Aaron Jones. However, he still has to go out on the field and deliver. He has done just that, including when the enormous pressure moments arrived.
Of the players on the Vikings roster last season, Byron Murphy is by far the most improved. He came to Minnesota via the Arizona Cardinals as a solid inside/outside cornerback, and that’s what he was like last year. He has stepped his game up a level this season and has been the Vikings’ best cornerback. Murphy has a career-high 73.8 overall grade from PFF and also a comfortably career-high coverage grade of 74.2.
Murphy leads the league in interceptions among CBs with six. He also has a forced fumble and 74 tackles, including five tackles for loss to his name. Murphy has shown up in big moments for the Vikings and looks to be in Pro Bowl contention after the fans’ voting element. Out of contract at the season’s end, Murphy has invested a lot of money in 2025. With CB being an area the Vikings need to improve, they should ensure they keep the best one currently on their books.
Nobody took much notice when the Vikings signed Jalen Redmond in June., a camp body for the defensive line who won’t make the roster would have been the assumption. Redmond, who went undrafted in 2023, was picked up by the Carolina Panthers but waived in early August. He went to play in the XFL with the Arlington Renegades and impressed enough to get his chance in Minnesota.
Redmond did enough in training camp and the preseason to make the initial Vikings 53-man roster. He saw some limited early game time before being waived on October 11 and then signed to the practice squad. A call-up to the active roster on November 6 ignited Redmond’s career, and he’s now a vital contributor to the Vikings DL. Through 12 games this season, Redmond has 17 tackles, including 6 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 2 pass deflections — a bigger contribution than anyone could have imagined back in June.