Who will be starting for the Minnesota Vikings during the 2019 NFL season? Here are some predictions as to who will have that honor this year.
This year, the Minnesota Vikings will be seeing some new faces in new places. A few familiar players have moved on to other teams while other reliable players continue to anchor down their positions.
It is the job of the coaching staff to organize all of these players into units which will give the franchise the best chance to succeed based on the individuals brought in by the team’s general manager.
Right now, there are several starting jobs up for grabs and many players looking to seize the opportunities. But who will be plugged into which spots for the start of the 2019 NFL season and who will be on the bench?
Let’s take a look at a projection of which players will be starters this season and who will be backups starting with the most obvious of all the positions.
Quarterback
This one seems like an absolute lock unless something horrible happens during the preseason and training camp to prevent Kirk Cousins from being behind center for Week 1 of the 2019 NFL season.
When considering the money the team has thrown at the quarterback and the fact there isn’t really another passer on the roster to unseat him in that role, it should be safe to say that Minnesota will be seeing a lot of Cousins this year.
Three other quarterbacks would love to have the opportunity to be the team’s starter, but a lack of experience from Kyle Sloter, Jake Browning, and even Sean Mannion doesn’t make any of them candidates for the job.
In addition, the Vikings have done everything they could to repair the offensive line for their quarterback and surround him with as much talent as possible, but a new offensive system with some new coaches might cause Cousins to need some time to adjust. However, he showed enough potential to this point to be optimistic about the upcoming season.
Running Backs
- Dalvin Cook – halfback
- C.J. Ham – fullback
Fans have to be excited about the addition of Alexander Mattison during the draft and feel good about having Mike Boone return to the team, but neither one will be the team’s starting running back in Week 1.
Even though injuries are an issue for Dalvin Cook at times, he will be the first man on the field for the Vikings because of his ability to be a home-run hitter with the ball in his hands and his experience on the field.
The only real question about Cook is what the split will be with Mattison. Will the team ride the hot hand throughout the season or will they see Mattison as a backup/situational runner? But no matter what the answers are, Cook should be the man.
Meanwhile, Ham has some competition in the form of rookie Khari Blasingame (which has an awesome last name), but Ham has been a solid blocker and a sneaky pass catcher who should return to the lineup.
Wide Receivers
Let’s be honest here, Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs are arguably the most talented wide receiving duo on the NFL and there isn’t anyone else on the Vikings roster who comes close to challenging one of them for a starting role.
The third best receiver last season, Aldrick Robinson, is now a member of the Carolina Panthers and Laquon Treadwell hasn’t shown enough to even earn more playing time from the 2018 season.
Chad Beebe and Brandon Zylstra have shown potential, but they have a long way to go before they catch up to Thielen and Diggs. Plus, rookies Olabisi Johnson and Dillon Mitchell are going to want to make a name for themselves…but that won’t happen on a big enough scale to become a starter no matter what.
With Thielen and Diggs coming off a season where each of them surpassed 1,000 receiving yards, they wouldn’t be replacing either of them any time soon. But the spots behind them will be interesting to watch.
Tight End
The tight end position has been the most debated spot on the team’s roster this offseason. Rumors are swirling of trades, pay cuts, and replacements for Kyle Rudolph, but none of that has come to fruition yet.
Rudolph is in a tough spot. He’s in the last year of this contract with the Vikings. Reports are out there that the team is trying to get him an extension but the two sides can’t come to terms. Meanwhile, the team is already preparing for the future without him.
Drafting Irv Smith Jr. in the second round sends a clear message to Rudolph that they don’t know what the future holds for the former Pro Bowl MVP. However, Smith will likely be behind Rudolph on the depth chart for now.
Rudolph and David Morgan are both in the final years of their contracts. Considering the salary cap situation with the two players, bringing them back on long-term deals will be a real challenge. But that is something the Minnesota Vikings can worry about after this season.
Offensive Line
- Garrett Bradbury – center
- Pat Elflein – left guard
- Josh Klein – right guard
- Brian O’Neill – right tackle
- Riley Reiff – left tackle
One of the biggest tasks for the Minnesota Vikings this offseason was to fix their offensive line. With help needed desperately on the interior of the group, the team went out and drafted a center with their first-round selection this year.
That move makes it look like Elflein will move to left guard, where he will be next to Riley Reiff, who will return to the left tackle position. Guard should be a more natural place for Elflein, where he can focus and have solid players around him.
Meanwhile, the right side of the line will feature a new face at right guard. Right now, it looks like that will be Josh Klein. However, don’t rule out fourth-round pick Dru Samia, who is a tough blocker and might shine during preseason and training camp.
At right tackle, Brian O’Neill will hold down the fort. He took over the position from Rashod Hill and never gave it back, looking impressive despite the team wanting him to bulk up for the move. O’Neill should still be more than solid in that role this year.
Defensive Line
- Everson Griffen – defensive end
- Danielle Hunter – defensive end
- Linval Joseph – defensive tackle
- Shamar Stephen – defensive tackle
The starting defensive ends from the last couple of seasons will return for 2019 and put a ton of pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Both Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter are top-tier pass rushers in the league who should continue to play at a high level.
There are talented players behind them on the depth chart. Stephen Weatherly played well when filling in for Griffen last season and players like AAF standout Karter Schult and the intriguing Ifeadi Odenigbo are nice for backup or rotational work.
Inside the defensive line, Linval Joseph returns to once again plug up the middle, but last year’s starter beside him has moved on. Sheldon Richardson is with a new team, yet the Vikings went out and got Shamar Stephen back to take the role over again.
Jaleel Johnson looked good at times and rookie Armon Watts looked like a steal in the sixth round of the draft. Add Jalyn Holmes to the mix and you have some nice depth behind those two starters with some solid rotational players to stay fresh and healthy.
Linebackers
- Anthony Barr – outside linebacker
- Ben Gedeon – outside linebacker
- Eric Kendricks – middle linebacker
Right now, Barr and Kendrick are inked in as starters. Both are coming off fresh contracts, with Barr signing a massive deal to stay with the team and Kendricks restructuring his deal to help the team financially.
Since the Vikings spend a lot of time in nickel, Gedeon wasn’t on the field a ton last season. In fact, he only played 29.74% of the team’s defensive snaps compared to 84.22% for Kendricks and 77.77% for Barr.
What this means is that Gedeon did a solid job on the snaps he did play, but if a player can impress enough there is a chance the position could be taken from him. And there are some talented players behind him on the roster.
Eric Wilson has looked good when needed and actually played more snaps defensively than Gedeon did last year with 32.34%. Plus, rookie Cameron Smith is going to be pushing for a role with the team this year. But, for now, it looks like Gedeon’s job to hold.
Defensive Secondary
- Anthony Harris – safety
- Xavier Rhodes – cornerback
- Harrison Smith – safety
- Trae Waynes – cornerback
It’s pretty amazing to think that three of the four starters in the Minnesota Vikings defensive backs grouping were first-round picks and each of those players have at least four seasons of experience in the NFL.
Rhodes and Waynes have been a strong duo of cornerbacks for the last few years. A solid combination of coverage and tackling skills, the two have been known to make things very difficult for some of the league’s premier pass catchers.
On the other hand, you have Harrison Smith coming back. An important tool in Mike Zimmer’s defense, Smith is used all over the field in different situations to make his value in the secondary extremely high.
Andrew Sendejo moved on to Eagles and the Vikings made the decision to tag Anthony Harris. Harris was actually the Vikings highest rated defender at 89.0 according to Pro Football Focus and the next highest player at 79.7 wasn’t even close. He should beat out Jayron Kearse and the others for the starting gig.
Special Teams
- Matt Wile – punter
- Dan Bailey – kicker
- Kevin McDermott – long snapper
- Holton Hill – kick returner
- Brandon Zylstra – punt returner
There is quite a bit happening with specials teams this offseason, so let’s start with the players who are coming back to the team. Matt Wile and Dan Bailey face no opposition in camp and should be inked into their roles for 2019.
A confusing moment came when the Minnesota Vikings drafted long snapper Austin Cutting when he likely wouldn’t be eligible to play for the team for several years. This does lock McDermott back into the lineup, by a strange default.
Seven different players returned kicks last season with Ameer Abdullah handling the most, but it doesn’t make much sense to roster him for the job. Instead, using an existing cornerback like Mike Hughes to do so frees up a roster spot for players who will contribute more in other places.
On the other hand, franchise punt return leader Marcus Sherels is gone to Philadelphia and that spot will need to be filled. The backup for Sherels was Zylstra, who returned four punts for 26 yards last year. With more time and experience during camp and the preseason, he could win the job.
Do you agree that these will be the starters for the Minnesota Vikings during the 2019 NFL season? Or do you think some other player will step into a role this year? Let us know in the comments section.