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As the Minnesota Vikings prepare to defend their NFC North title in 2023, they appear to have one of the more dynamic offensive teams in the NFC.
Start off with wide receiver Justin Jefferson and quarterback Kirk Cousins, and it's clear that the Vikings have to be taken seriously. Jefferson is widely perceived as the No. 1 receiver in the NFL, and those that would disagree with that assessment have him in the top 3 in the league.
He has speed, excellent route running skills, a hunger to make game-changing catches and sensational hands, and that's why he was able to catch 128 passes for 1,809 yards with 8 touchdowns last season. Jefferson is clearly not satisfied, and there are predictions that he could reach the 2,000-yard mark in the upcoming season.
Cousins does not get anywhere near the respect at his position than Jefferson gets at his, and he has as many detractors as he does supporters.
Among the criticisms that Cousins faces on a regular basis is that he struggles in prime time games and that he rarely has his best games against elite NFL competition.
However, Cousins has been quite consistent in terms of his accuracy and production throughout his 11-year NFL career. Since becoming a starter on a regular basis in 2015 with Washington, Cousins has never completed less than 64.3 percent of his passes, and he has high-water mark is 70.1 percent.
Cousins completed 424 of 643 passes for 4,547 yards with 29 touchdowns and 14 interceptions last year. Expect Cousins to complete 66.7 percent of his passes, raise his TD total to 33 or more and cut his interception total to less than 10 this season.
Vikings defense must show improvement
Head coach Kevin O'Connell has faith in his offense, but he knows the defense has to improve in 2023 after the Vikings ranked 31st in yards allowed last season. They have brought in aggressive defensive coordinator Brian Flores to help improve a unit that has not been up to snuff for any of the last 3 seasons.
It's one thing to bring in a sharp-minded defensive coordinator, it's quite another to have the talent on the field that can help the team perform at an acceptable level.
One of the additions they have made was signing cornerback Byron Murphy to drive the secondary. Murphy has the size, ability and length to do just that, but the other cornerback spot could be an issue. The Vikings are hoping that Akayleb Evans and rookie Mekhi Blackmon can get the job done.
The Vikings once had high hopes for Andrew Booth at the position, but that may no longer be the case and he could be in danger of getting cut before the start of the season.
Cornerback Andrew Booth
Booth was a 2nd-round draft pick in 2022 for the Vikings, and much was expected when he was selected out of Clemson.
However, he was not overly impressive on the practice field as a rookie, and when he did get a chance to play, it was not very successful.
Booth played in 6 games for the Vikings and he made just 1 start . His numbers indicated that he was not a significant factor in any of those games. He had just 12 tackles and did not contribute anything else in terms of pass defense. He did not come up with an interception and he did not deflect any passes away from opposing receivers.
His season ended after those 6 games due to a knee injury.
It appears that several of the other cornerbacks in camp have bypassed him, as he was on the field in the second half of the preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks. He had a difficult time staying with receivers and looked lost as he gave up a second-half TD reception.
If Booth does not show significant improvement in the next 2 weeks, he may not be able to survive roster cuts prior to the opening week of the season.
Wide receiver Jalen Reagor
The Vikings know that Jefferson can't do it all in the receiving department. They feel quite good about K.J. Osborn and rookie Jordan Addison filling key receiving roles, and they also have tight end T.J. Hockenson, who is one of the most productive players in the league at his position.
That leaves several receivers — including Reagor, Jalen Nailor and N'Keal Harry — who may be battling for a final receiving spot.
Reagor was traded to the Vikings prior to the 2022 season by the Philadelphia Eagles. He had a pair of mildly productive seasons in Philadelphia, but he did very little with the Vikings last year. His receiving line of 8-104-1 offers little evidence that the 2023 season will be any better.
He is a candidate to get cut before the start of the season
