By the numbers, Who are Kirk Cousins’ top five Minnesota Vikings pass-catching targets?
Foremost, this is not based on an eye-test or an assessment of which pass-catchers are most popular among Minnesota Vikings fans. This analysis is derived from the relationship quarterback Kirk Cousins has with Minnesota receivers on a per-target basis since he became the Vikings leader in 2018.
Also, Cousins has notoriously been deprived of a bonafide WR3 in the past two seasons, mainly because wideout Laquon Treadwell never materialized into a full-time or reliable asset at the wide receiver option. In that regard, the five men on this list will probably be fairly evident. The order in which they rank will likely surprise some. But that’s ok. That’s the kind of enlightenment analyses such as these wish to quantify.
This examination evaluates three key elements of pass-throwing and receiving: the number of yards gained per target, the percentage of touchdowns scored per target, and the ratio of first downs accrued per target. The three categories are then weighted and assessed to formulate this subsequent top five.
If all goes according to plan, Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs will slide down this list as 2020 kicks off and rookie Justin Jefferson can eventually supplant the former Viking. Yet, we need to see if Jefferson’s performance will mirror the hype and excitement that he has thus far stirred.
Alas, these are Kirk Cousins’ favorite Minnesota Vikings targets by the numbers in ascending order.
5. Bisi Johnson, WR
With Cousins:
- Yards per Target: 6.34 yards
- Percentage of Touchdowns to Target: 7.31 percent
- Percentage of First Downs to Target: 34.14 percent
Kirk Cousins has not had competent continuity at the WR3 position in the last two seasons, so Bisi Johnson notches a spot on this list almost by default.
Johnson was a seventh-round discovery by general manager Rick Spielman. He joined Minnesota by the way of Colorado State University and played a role within the Vikings offense from the jump. Now, he was not elite by any stretch of the imagination, but his 294 receiving yards was a serviceable output. The WR3 productivity had been rather anemic since wideout Jarius Wright departed for Carolina. This, in large part, is due to the aforementioned Laquon Treadwell not fulfilling the team’s once-grandiose plans for his career.
In 2020, Johnson will again compete for the same position he filled last season. The team inked former Tennessee Titans wide receiver Tajae Sharpe in free agency to vie for playing time. Training camp is underway in Eagan, Minnesota, and the WR3 duel is prophecized to be one of the most intriguing.
4. Dalvin Cook, RB
With Cousins:
- Yards per Target: 7.36 yards
- Percentage of Touchdowns to Target: 1.79 percent
- Percentage of First Downs to Target: 36.61 percent
Dalvin Cook has been in a contractual holdout with the Vikings for a few weeks. Cook invariably has a checkered injury history, and the conventional theory is that Vikings brass is standoffish about allocating him a colossal chunk of guaranteed money.
Aside from holding the acronym ‘RB’ next to his name, Cook also acts as a wide receiver inside the offensive huddle. He accrued 519 receiving yards in 2019, which was sixth-most of all running backs in the NFL. Cook’s skill-set is one of a handsy pass-catcher, receiver-like slashing ability, and of course, optimal speed. In a pinch, he could line up as a wide receiver and reasonably succeed.
Cook is also a gifted playmaker. Of the top 10 rushing yard leaders in NFL last year, the 24-year-old led all nine tailbacks in gains of 15 yards or more. He is an explosive commodity.
Kirk Cousins has developed a trust with Cook that enables him to serve as a combustible checkdown valve.
3. Kyle Rudolph, TE
With Cousins:
- Yards per Target: 7.70 yards
- Percentage of Touchdowns to Target: 7.69 percent
- Percentage of First Downs to Target: 43.08 percent
Heading into his 10th year with the Minnesota Vikings, tight end Kyle Rudolph makes the cut for a reason that vastly outshines all others: his mastery of scoring touchdowns in crucial moments.
Rudolph is affectionately labeled “Rudolph the Redzone Reindeer.” This is not a coy marketing campaign or a title with a cute ring to it–the name is richly merited.
Since 2011, Rudolph has grabbed 12 receiving touchdowns in the fourth quarter of games when the score margin is within 10 points. This is the very best in the NFL among tight ends in the last nine years and it is the fourth-best among all players, including wide receivers. The man is clutch.
Rudolph notoriously walked-off the New Orleans Saints in the playoffs last season and it is no surprise whatsoever Kirk Cousins entrusted him with the assignment. Vikings quarterbacks before Cousins demonstrated confidence and Rudolph, and the current Minnesota signal-caller has furthered the trend.
2. Stefon Diggs
With Cousins:
- Yards per Target: 8.85 yards
- Percentage of Touchdowns to Target: 6.17 percent
- Percentage of First Downs to Target: 34.15 percent
Had this analysis focused solely on the 2019 season, Stefon Diggs would have conquered everyone by a wide margin. Diggs was tremendous last season, and with Cousins, he fundamentally clicked in stretching the field. On the season, Diggs, Adam Thielen, and Kyle Rudolph all accounted for six receiving touchdowns.
When Diggs and Cousins developed the deep-passing dynamic, the nation seemed to have a reputational breakout party for Diggs’ talents. Many fans and pundits decided that because Thielen was injured and Diggs added a deep-ball acumen to his game, he was suddenly the better football player. That may very well be true, but Diggs has only truly blossomed in this manner with Cousins’ arrival to Minnesota.
Meanwhile, Cousins had been launching deep passes for the Washington Football Team with frequency during his three-year tenure in the nation’s capital. In Cousins’ career, he has thrown 40 touchdown passes of 30 yards or more. Six of those 40 touchdowns have been caught by Stefon Diggs. Not as lopsided as you might surmise.
This September, Diggs will be given a fresh opportunity to assert himself as the Buffalo Bills deep-threat if signal-caller Josh Allen improves his deep-passing accuracy.
1. Adam Thielen
With Cousins:
- Yards per Target: 8.91 yards
- Percentage of Touchdowns to Target: 7.46 percent
- Percentage of First Downs to Target: 45.77 percent
If 2019 was The Stefon Diggs Show, then 2018 was The Adam Thielen Show. Fans and pundits strangely forget that about Thielen’s 2018 campaign, at least when sizing up Diggs’ recent performance as a comparison.
Two seasons ago, Adam Thielen had the best season via receiving yards by a Vikings wide receiver that team had seen since 2003. In that year, Randy Moss accounted for 1,632 yards. In 2018, Thielen banked 1,373 yards. In fact, Thielen’s 2018 season was the fourth-best ever by a Minnesota pass catcher. What’s more, Cris Carter, Anthony Carter, Jake Reed, or Ahmad Rashad never exceeded the 1,373 receiving yards in a single season.
Need more evidence that Thielen is Cousins’ favorite target? At the top of your screen, you see the three per-target metrics. Thielen bests Diggs in all of them.
Diggs was Cousins’ go-to receiver in Adam Thielen’s absence; that is undeniable. But as a whole, Thielen has been more productive when targeted by Kirk Cousins.