Which teams should the Minnesota Vikings emulate if they retool?
By Luke Parrish
The Minnesota Vikings should follow the blueprint of other NFL teams.
This has been quite the roller coaster of a season for the Minnesota Vikings through just nine games. Kirk Cousins has had some incredible showings on the road and some unwatchable games when things around him are not perfect. Midway through this season, there is no clear plan for his future with the team.
The same can be said for Mike Zimmer and the rest of the coaching staff. With so many ups and downs, the future holds far too many questions to answer at this point in the season. A full-blown rebuild does not seem likely this offseason but a bit of a retooling is certainly a possibility.
Minnesota has the pieces to turn this ship around in a hurry, especially on offense. The stars of the show will get the notoriety but the offensive line deserves some respect after a pretty good start to this season.
Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill look like long-term bookends while Ezra Cleveland has held his own at the left guard spot. Sure, there are some lingering questions at center and right guard, but the Vikings are in a very good spot in the trenches.
Justin Jefferson and Dalvin Cook are going to be exciting building blocks for any incoming head coach. If Zimmer is fired after this season, the Vikings should be a hot job for some of the top candidates on the market.
Can they follow the blueprints of other teams around the league to build their roster for playoff success?