Top 5 takeaways from the Minnesota Vikings’ offseason so far
By Chris Schad
The Vikings must really like their defensive tackles
Another blow to the Vikings’ roster at the beginning of the offseason was losing defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson to the Cleveland Browns. With Richardson’s impact gone, many figured that Minnesota would look for a new three-tech early in the draft to replace him — even after signing Shamar Stephen to a three-year deal in free agency.
As the draft went on, the Vikings were more fixated on improving their stagnant offense, as their first four picks were on that side of the ball. Even more glaring was that Rick Spielman didn’t call a defensive tackle’s name until they drafted Arkansas’ Armon Watts in the sixth round.
Not investing much into the defensive tackle spot has to be a vote of confidence not only for Stephen, but for the players that remain on the roster. If Jaleel Johnson, Jalyn Holmes, and Ifeadi Odenigbo can show improvement heading into next season, the lone addition of Stephen could help the Vikings not skip a beat up the middle.