Which Minnesota Vikings players have something to prove in 2020?
The Minnesota Vikings have a lot of question marks on their roster this year. They have some players who will be thrust into starting roles for the first time in their careers. They have a few new faces who will be putting on the purple jersey for the first time and they also have some guys on the roster who are heading into a prove-it type of season.
These players could be ones that either didn’t live up to the hype a year ago or ones that find themselves in new situations with the Vikings. These are guys who Minnesota will need to step up and show that they can overcome the challenges their new circumstances put them in.
If the Vikings are going to advance further in the playoffs and potentially compete for a Super Bowl title in 2020, they’ll need these players to prove themselves.
Whether it’s living up to their high draft status or playing as a starter for the first time, let’s check out five members of Minnesota’s roster who find themselves with something to prove this year.
Adam Thielen – WR
It might be a surprise to see Adam Thielen on this list as he’s certainly proven his worth over his career by hauling in 323 passes for 4,315 yards and 25 touchdowns.
Thielen is easily one of the best route-runners in the NFL and has some of the stickiest mitts in the league, often hauling in balls that appear to be uncatchable. However, one big thing will be different this season and that will be the fact that he won’t have Stefon Diggs by his side.
Diggs has been the Goose to Thielen’s Maverick during his entire pro career. Playing next to such a talented wideout, definitely had a positive impact on Thielen’s numbers.
With Diggs lining up opposite him, opposing defenses couldn’t afford to double team Thielen, often leaving him in single coverage. Diggs is now with the Buffalo Bills and the Vikings don’t have a proven threat lining up as their No. 2 pass catcher for 2020.
Thielen could see plenty of double-coverage this season and he will have to work extra hard to create separation. He’ll need to prove he’s truly a No.1 receiver in the NFL and one who doesn’t need a stud lining up next to him to be productive in the league.
Thielen will be under the microscope this year. Opposing defenses will try to take him out of the gameplan and make the unproven weapons in Minnesota’s receiving corps beat them instead.
Garrett Bradbury – C
The Vikings used the 18th overall pick on former North Carolina State center Garett Bradbury in the 2019 NFL Draft and they were rewarded with an up-and-down rookie season from the young offensive lineman.
Bradbury was a much better run blocker than a pass protector last year. He often was overpowered by big nose tackles and he had trouble anchoring against the interior pass rush of Minnesota’s opponents.
Bradbury appears to be well aware of his struggles and he has apparently hit the weight room hard to add strength to his frame this offseason. The Vikings will need his pass protection to improve, otherwise, their offensive line could be even worse than it was a year ago.
Pat Elflein looks locked into the starting left guard job for Minnesota and Dru Samia appears to be the current front runner to be the team’s starting right guard. Elflein was arguably worse than Bradbury in pass protection last season and Samia could potentially be a step down from Josh Kline at right guard since he’s unproven.
If Bradbury isn’t any better fending off those big, angry nose guards in 2020, the interior of the Vikings offensive line will completely crumble. Kirk Cousins will just be running for his life or throwing the ball away before any of his receivers can get open.
Bradbury is heading into a prove-it season for sure. He’s already committed himself to the weight room to get better and if it pays off, Minnesota’s offense, as a whole, will be vastly improved. If he struggles again this year, the word “bust” could start to get tossed around when discussions occur that involve the young Vikings center.
Ifeadi Odenigbo – DE
Ifeadi Odenigbo is a great story for the Vikings. He was a late-round draft pick in 2017 who made the practice squad during his rookie season.
The following year Odenigbo was heading that way again as he was cut by Minnesota before the start of the regular season, but he ended up getting signed by the Cleveland Browns before clearing waivers. The Browns released him a month later and he spent a little time with the Arizona Cardinals before getting released again and winding back home to the purple and gold.
Odenigbo blossomed under the tutelage of Vikings defensive line coach Andre Patterson and busted out with seven sacks a season ago. Minnesota didn’t bring Everson Griffen back this year, and now Odenigbo is expected to be one of the Vikings’ two starting defensive ends in 2020.
He’ll be under a lot of pressure to prove last season wasn’t a fluke and prove he can produce with the added snaps that go along with being a starter.
Odenigbo came off the bench last year and he was playing with fresh legs late in games. That won’t be the case this season. He’ll likely see up to 500 more snaps as a starter and his stamina and strength will be tested every week. Opposing offenses will also be game-planning against him and try to find ways to slow him down.
Odenigbo clearly has the talent to be a successful starting defensive end in the NFL. But until he shows he can do it for a 16-game stretch, there will always be some doubt circling around his head.
Irv Smith Jr. – TE
Irv Smith Jr. was drafted by the Vikings in the second round of the 2019 draft. He was seen as a much more explosive weapon at tight end than Kyle Rudolph and he did show some big-play ability as a rookie last year.
Smith finished his inaugural season with 36 catches for 311 yards and two touchdowns. His most explosive play went for 29 yards, but he did have a few other big-gainers that were called back due to penalties.
With Stefon Diggs now in Buffalo, Minnesota will be looking to replace the explosiveness he brought to the offense. They’ll look to rookie receiver Justin Jefferson to help with that, but they’ll also rely on this guy to provide some big plays in 2020.
Vikings offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak loves to use two tight ends sets and he could easily send this big, speedy target on some go routes this year.
The majority of Smith’s production came in the second half of the season. This shows that he began to better understand Minnesota’s offense and his role in it.
It took him some time to get acclimated to the NFL, but now that he’s been in the league for a year. He should be ready to explode from day one this season. The Vikings will need Smith to prove he’s a playmaker so opposing defenses aren’t just concerned about stopping Adam Thielen and Dalvin Cook in 2020.
Mike Hughes – CB
Mike Hughes was drafted in the first round of the 2018 draft by the Vikings and it’s time he proves to the team that he was worthy of such a high choice.
So far, Hughes’ career has been more about the time he’s missed on the field than his actual play on it. He suffered an ACL injury as a rookie in 2018 and he missed 10 games.
That injury also caused him to miss Minnesota’s first two games of 2019. Hughes was hurt again in 2019 with an injured neck, which caused him to miss both of the Vikings’ playoff games.
While the injuries and missed time have been the story of Hughes’ NFL career so far, his play on the field when healthy, has been a bit of a mixed bag.
Hughes has had moments where he’s looked very good. He’s made some key tackles and knocked away some passes using good coverage skills and technique. Hughes even has a couple of interceptions to his name including one he took to the house for a score.
He’s also got plenty of bad tape. There were too many times a season ago where Hughes would allow too much space between himself and the man he was covering. This led to easy completions for the opposing offense.
He also had plenty of missed tackles and plays where he would swat at the pass but miss and it would end up in the hands of the receiver he was covering.
Hughes is definitely entering a prove-it season. He is the Vikings’ most experienced corner and he will almost assuredly start the 2020 season as the team’s No. 1 cornerback. He’ll be lining up against the opposing team’s top options in the passing game and will need to show the skills he displayed in college that made him a 2019 first-round draft choice.
It often takes corners a couple of seasons to fully understand Mike Zimmer’s coverage schemes. But Hughes is there now and this is the year where he has to put it all together.