3 key takeaways from the Vikings final 53-man roster for 2022
By Luke Parrish
The new regime is quick to move on from previous mistakes
Before all of the criticisms of the 2021 draft class that Rick Spielman brought to Minnesota, I do want to acknowledge some of the bright spots of that group. In his final draft for the Vikings, Spielman landed Christian Darrisaw, Kene Nwangwu, Cam Bynum, and Ihmir Smith-Marsette, all of whom seem primed to contribute in 2022.
Yes, he had a disastrous third round that featured three roster cuts before their second seasons. Kellen Mond, Wyatt Davis, and Chazz Surratt all got the axe on Tuesday after looking terrible through one season and a second training camp.
On the bright side, this new regime has made it clear that they have no ties to the previous staff or their selections. Whether that is the right way to look at things or not, it is refreshing to see such conviction from Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
Spielman brought in a ton of stars during his tenure, and we will see that for a long time. But we will also have to deal with some of his misses for a long time and be left with questions as the Vikings try to get back to relevance in the NFC.
Minnesota was aggressive in tackling those issues this offseason. When Mond failed to progress, Adofo-Mensah went out and got a proven backup quarterback for Kirk Cousins. They signed several free agents to fix the interior offensive line and even drafted Ed Ingram in the second round after Wyatt Davis struggled.
No matter how this season goes, Kwesi wants it to be known that he had an enormous impact in his first season as the man in charge.