Top 5 takeaways from the Minnesota Vikings’ offseason so far

2019 will be a pivotal year for Kirk Cousins

Last season, there were many reasons why Kirk Cousins’ first year with the Vikings went haywire. There was a lack of depth in the passing game, the absence of Dalvin Cook for half the season, and the conflict of philosophies between head coach Mike Zimmer and offensive coordinator John DeFilippo.

Did I also mention how bad the offensive line was?

As Minnesota prepares to get ready for the 2019 season, all those excuses seem to be out the window. The deficiencies in the Vikings’ offense have been upgraded and it might be worthy to debate whether or not this is the best supporting cast of Cousins’ career.

If Cousins can’t push Minnesota to the next level in 2019, the team may feel the need to dive into a talented 2020 quarterback class in the same fashion that the Kansas City Chiefs landed Patrick Mahomes in the 2017 draft despite already having Alex Smith.

That scenario makes 2019 a true contract year for Cousins and after the draft, he definitely has the weapons to succeed.