The Minnesota Vikings are hoping that Year 2 of the Kwesi Adofo-Mensah-Kevin O'Connell regime is another season of progress.

In many ways, the 2022 season could not have gone better for the regime. The Vikings were clearly a depressed team when Adof0-Mensah and O'Connell were hired because the previous regime ended in disarray.

The Vikings had been a losing team and were out of the playoff picture. Most observers expected more of the same last year, but the Vikings came firing out of the gate and built a big lead in the NFC North before clinching the division on Thanksgiving Night with a win over the New England Patriots.

The Vikings built an exciting offense led by quarterback Kirk Cousins, running back Dalvin Cook and wide receiver Justin Jefferson. O'Connell hopes the offense will be even more productive this year, but it will be a challenge without Cook.

The Vikings parted company with him in the offseason, in large part because of his salary. Like many running backs, Cook has been victimized by the financial cutbacks faced by many in his position. Teams don't want to pay running backs in the same kind of proportions that they did in years past, and that means Alexander Mattison will be the new RB1.

O'Connell has been talking up Mattison since Cook was cut, but it will be difficult for Mattison to come close to anything the explosive Cook could deliver.

There are many position battles taking place on the Vikings this summer, and several players could find themselves on the outside looking in if they don't perform well in training camp and the preseason.

Wide receiver Jalen Reagor

The Vikings appear to have an excellent crew of wide receivers with Justin Jefferson, K.J. Osborn and rookie Jordan Addison. Jefferson is considered one of the top receivers in the NFL, and he may be the best of the bunch.

Jefferson caught 128 passes for 1,809 yards and 8 touchdowns last year, and he will once again be Cousins' No. 1 receiver. Since the Vikings also let veteran Adam Thielen go in the offseason, they made up for the loss by drafting Addison from USC.

He has an excellent chance to serve as the team's No. 2 receiver. During his college career, Addison was the No. 1 receiver at Pittsburgh for quarterback Kenny Pickett, and he transferred to USC and served in the same role for Caleb Williams last year.

Osborn has impressed O'Connell with his ability to fight for the ball and make key plays. He caught 60-650-5 last year, and demonstrated that he was able to make tough catches in traffic. He will almost certainly continue in that role this season.

Throw in tight end T.J. Hockenson, and the Vikings have a lot of their receiving positions spoken for.  That could make it difficult for Reagor to make the team.

He has been in the NFL for three years. After spending two seasons with the Eagles, he wore a Vikings uniform last year and caught just 8-104-1. That will make it difficult for him to earn a spot on this year's team and he clearly must excel in the preseason in order to stay with the Vikings.

Cornerback Andrew Booth Jr.

While the Vikings may have been explosive and fairly dangerous on offense a year ago, their defense struggled throughout the season. They ranked 31st in yards allowed and tied for 29th in points allowed.

They had weaknesses all over, and their pass coverage was vulnerable. This was not a new development, as their pass coverage has been an area of weakness for 3 consecutive seasons.

The Vikings picked up Byron Murphy during free agency, and he should be the team's top cover man in 2023. After Murphy, Akayleb Evans, Joejuan Williams and Booth figure to fight for the other starting position.

Evans may have the inside track on that spot, and Williams has made a solid early impression in training camp.

That could leave Booth in a vulnerable position. He is going to have to hold off Tay Gowan and several others if he wants to make the team. It may be difficult for him to do so.

Placekicker Greg Joseph

Joseph will have to hold off Jack Podlesny if he is going to hold on to his role as the team's placekicker. Joseph made 26 of 33 field goal attempts last year but just 40 of 46 extra point attempts. If Podlesny can demonstrate more consistency this summer, Joseph could be in trouble as he attempts to stick with the Vikings for his third consecutive year.