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The NFC North has been a huge story throughout the NFL this summer. When the subject has been the best division in the league or the most improved, the NFC North heads the discussion. The Detroit Lions are legitimate Super Bowl aspirants for the first time in the team's history. They will likely be challenged by the surging Green Bay Packers. The Chicago Bears have gotten off the mat and appear to be more talented at the skill positions than they have been at any point since their last Super Bowl appearance in 2006. The Minnesota Vikings? They are bringing up the rear.
That's not a comfortable place for the team or their long-suffering fans. The decision to let quarterback Kirk Cousins walk in free agency made some sense because of his age and cost, but when rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy was lost for the season after the first preseason game with a torn meniscus, prospects for this team plummeted.
New formula for the Vikings in 2024
Nobody has given up within the organization, but the Vikings are going to have a dramatically different look this season. Instead of an offense that can light up the scoreboard — the formula used when the Vikings won the NFC North two years ago — there may be more of a reliance on the ground game and the defense.
All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson and second-year speedster Jordan Addison may not want to hear it, but the Vikings have a placeholder quarterback Sam Darnold at the helm of the offense. Darnold is smart and experienced, but he has never shown he can string excellent games together throughout his NFL career. It would be a mistake to rely on Darnold for consistency and accuracy this season because he has not demonstrated he can come through on anything more than an occasional basis.
Instead, Aaron Jones and Ty Chandler are going to have to run the ball effectively and the rebuilt defense is going to have to punish opponents. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores has four new weapons at his disposal in free agent signees Andrew Van Ginkel, Blake Cashman and Jonathan Greenard along with first-round draft pick Dallas Turner, and the Vikings could continue to improve on defense this season.
They went from 30th in 2022 to 16th last year, and a top-10 season or better could be within their reach.
Head coach Kevin O'Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah are coming up to roster cut down day as they prepare for the 2024 season. Both men face challenges, and they will have to make at least two surprising cuts to reach the 53-man roster limit.
Quarterback Jaren Hall may be sent packing
The Vikings must have an effective defense if they hope to be a surprise team in 2024. As a result, they are likely going to keep just two quarterbacks on the roster. The Vikings will let third-string signal caller Jaren Hall go.
Darnold and Nick Mullens are the two quarterbacks that the Vikings will keep since McCarthy will not be available this season.
Hall played in three games for the Vikings last season and O'Connell gave him the starting assignment in two of them. The Vikings managed to win one of those games, but it was clear that he could not be trusted to drive the offense or throw the ball with any consistency. He completed 13 of 20 passes for 168 yards. He did not throw a touchdown pass and he tossed one interception. Only seven of his completions resulted in first downs.
Darnold may be a placeholder, but he is a long way ahead of the 26-year-old Hall. So is No. 2 quarterback Nick Mullens, who has six years of NFL experience. He has played with the 49ers (three years), Vikings (two years) and Browns (one year), and he has completed 528 of 803 passes (65.8 completion percentage) for 6,391 yards with a 34-31 TD-interception ratio. That's a much stronger track record than Hall can offer.
Hall came through with an impressive preseason performance as he completed 17 of 25 passes for 189 yards with two touchdowns against the Philadelphia Eagles in a 26-3 Vikings victory, but it is not likely enough to help him earn a prime roster spot.
If Darnold suffers an injury at any point, the Vikings can bring Hall back or find another recently cut quarterback to fill a future backup role.
CB Duke Shelley not in Vikings plans
At this point, Shelley appears to be a backup nickel back, but the recent acquisition of Stephon Gilmore gives Flores options throughout the secondary. Gilmore and Shaq Griffin should be the starting cornerbacks with Harrison Smith and Cam Bynum manning the two safety positions. Byron Murphy is the team's nickel back, and the other defensive backs likely to see action include Fabian Moreau, Josh Metellus and Akayleb Evans.
The Vikings will have additional bodies in the secondary, but Shelley has played five years in the NFL and he has not been a playmaker. He played 11 games last year and had just eight tackles and two passes defensed. He has one interception and one fumble recovery in his career.
There's not enough evidence to believe he can help the defense, and the Vikings are likely to send Shelley packing.
