4 secret weapons on the Minnesota Vikings in 2022
By Dean Jones
Which Minnesota Vikings players could emerge as secret weapons during the 2022 season?
If the Minnesota Vikings want to stand any chance of emerging as a postseason contender in 2022, it needs to be a collective effort. Kevin O’Connell and his new staff will do their part, but top to bottom on the 53-man roster must also play varying contributions in pursuit of the same goal.
Things stagnated at the tail-end of Mike Zimmer’s time as head coach. This shift in ethos could be exactly what the Vikings need, and the talent is obviously there to return to the playoffs, at the very least.
Minnesota isn’t among the favorites to lift an elusive first Super Bowl in 2022. But it won’t take much improvement for the team to emerge as serious contenders if expectations are reached or even exceeded across the board.
With that being said, here are four secret weapons the Vikings can put to good use when the 2022 season gets underway.
Player No. 1
Kene Nwangwu – RB/KR
After an encouraging first season with the Vikings, Kene Nwangwu will look to build on this positive momentum during his sophomore campaign. This can be accomplished by securing the confidence of his coaching staff and continuing to evolve as a dual-threat force with the scope to also play a significant role on special teams.
Nwangwu is an explosive individual with exceptional elusiveness. His ball skills in the passing game were also assured from limited targets in 2021 and his two kick return touchdowns also caught the eye despite Minnesota failing to make the postseason.
Generating touches behind Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison will be difficult. But head coach Kevin O’Connell has multiple options when it comes to utilizing Nwangwu’s unique skill set.