The Minnesota Vikings had a disappointing 2023, but which members of the organization had the biggest letdowns last season?
The Minnesota Vikings came into the 2023 season with big goals. The Vikings won 13 games in 2022 and their first division title since 2017, and despite the subtraction of several veterans, they still looked to make the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time since the 2008 and 2009 seasons.
Unfortunately, the Vikings came up short, finishing with a 7-10 record.
While the season has led to an offseason full of questions, it also opens up a time of reflection where Minnesota has to assess what went right and what went wrong.
Many Vikings had disappointing years, but some were more of a letdown than others.
So, who were some of the biggest disappointments from last season, and what could it mean heading into the 2024 offseason?
6th-most disappointing Viking of 2023
Jonathan Bullard - DL
Jonathan Bullard didn’t have massive expectations among fans entering 2023, but the coaching staff seemed to rely on him for a key role.
According to PFF, only Harrison Phillips (838) played more snaps along interior defenders than Bullard’s 643 last season, yet Bullard finished with the lowest overall grade at 46.4.
Bullard’s overall grade was just part of the problem as he also posted career lows in run defense (53.8) and pass-rush (46.9) grades.
The 30-year-old also managed just nine pressures on 325 pass-rushing snaps (2.7 percent pressure rate) and his highest missed tackle rate (5.1 percent) since he missed 10 percent of his tackles with the Seattle Seahawks in 2020.
Nobody expected Bullard to become Aaron Donald, but he was still disappointing.
Phillips was asked to do too much thanks to the ineffectiveness of the players around him, and Bullard logged a worse grade than free-agent disappointment Dean Lowry and T.J. Smith.
This could leave Bullard departing in free agency and the Vikings looking for an upgrade this spring.
5th-most disappointing Viking of 2023
Brian Asamoah - ILB
Last season was going to be a pivotal point for the 2022 draft class, and while Brian Asamoah hasn’t been the biggest bust from that class, it doesn’t mean that he wasn’t a disappointment.
Many expected a breakout season for Asamoah after he spent most of his rookie season redshirting behind Eric Kendricks and Jordan Hicks. Although Asamoah had moments in his rookie season, like a forced fumble in a Christmas Eve win over the Giants, there were warning signs that suggested he might not pan out.
Kendricks spent the entire 2022 season a step behind in coverage, and even as he slowed down, Asamoah couldn’t crack the lineup. Another warning sign was when Hicks agreed to return on a reduced salary despite being one of the weakest links in the Vikings defense.
Asamoah entered training camp looking to earn a spot in Brian Flores’s defense, but he was quickly passed by Ivan Pace Jr. and spent the majority of last season on special teams. Although the 23-year-old played in 13 games, he made just seven tackles and never held a meaningful role on the field.
This creates a pivotal year for Asamoah in 2024. With Hicks a pending free agent, the Vikings could turn to some youth or bring someone in through the draft or free agency to compete with Asamoah. If Asamoah can’t win a starting spot, he could be a training camp cut and be another disappointing piece to the 2022 draft class.
4th-most disappointing Viking of 2023
Lewis Cine - S
Speaking of the 2022 draft, the first pick from that class was Lewis Cine, who entered a pivotal year coming off of injury. While Cine got extensive reps during training camp and the preseason, it didn’t carry over to the regular season as he played in just seven games, with most of his work coming on special teams.
One could speculate that Cine’s leg injury suffered in an October 2022 game in London may have set him back, but his recovery was consistently positive throughout the offseason. Even if Cine was healthy, he sat behind several other players, including Josh Metellus, Camryn Bynum, and Theo Jackson, who was taken 172 picks behind Cine in the 2022 draft.
Brian Flores also loved to use three safeties in his defense last season, but Cine still couldn’t crack the lineup and was a healthy scratch over the second half of the season.
At 24 years old, Cine is running out of time to make his mark in the NFL. While the Vikings could give him an extended leash as a former first-round pick, his name has become a lightning rod as the Vikings passed on Kyle Hamilton and Jameson Williams to trade down and select Cine.
If Cine can’t break through this offseason, his days in Minnesota could be numbered.
3rd-most disappointing Viking of 2023
K.J. Osborn - WR
Osborn has been a fan favorite during his time in Minnesota, but the 2023 season could be a disappointing ending for the 26-year-old.
Osborn posted nearly identical numbers in 2021 (50 catches, 655 yards, 7 touchdowns) and 2022 (60 catches, 655 yards, 5 touchdowns) and had some hype after catching 30 passes for 388 yards and three touchdowns in his final five games to close the 2022 season.
The release of Adam Thielen created an even bigger opportunity, and Vikings fans were optimistic even after the selection of Jordan Addison in the first round of the 2023 draft.
Unfortunately, Osborn’s game didn’t reach another level. His 12.7 percent drop rate ranked eighth among receivers with 20 percent of the league lead in snaps last season. Osborn’s 25 percent catch rate was the 11th-lowest, and his 0.95 yards per route run ranked 82nd among 95 qualifiers.
Kevin O’Connell’s offense didn’t do Osborn any favors as he remained in the same role and took a back seat to Addison and T.J. Hockenson, but even his work as a run-blocker dropped off with a 52.7 grade last season.
Add it all up, and Osborn has the look of a replacement-level player as he heads to free agency.
While all it takes is one team to pay up, the Vikings have several bigger needs to fill, which could lead to Osborn’s departure this year.
2nd-most disappointing Viking of 2023
Marcus Davenport - EDGE
One of the biggest storylines last offseason was Za’Darius Smith’s contract situation. Smith wanted a raise after outperforming his contract in 2022, but the Vikings balked as they worked through salary cap restraints to improve their team for 2023.
Minnesota ultimately traded Smith to the Cleveland Browns and replaced him by signing Marcus Davenport to a one-year, $13 million contract in free agency.
The idea to pivot to Davenport was risky as he logged just a half-sack but a 12 percent pressure rate with the New Orleans Saints in 2022. While the idea may have been good in theory, Davenport’s Vikings tenure didn’t go as planned as one of their biggest free agent busts of the offseason.
Davenport was banged up in training camp and dealt with an ankle injury throughout the early weeks of the season.
Although he suited up for a Week 2 game with the Philadelphia Eagles, he only played four snaps before leaving. Davenport returned in Week 4 and recorded a sack in back-to-back games against Carolina and Kansas City but aggravated the injury against the Chicago Bears in Week 6 and was never seen again.
Some questioned Davenport’s desire to be on the field, but it was a tough injury in a season full of them. While Davenport was effective when he was on the field, he had too many injuries to stay on it, and it left the Vikings with a massive hole across from Danielle Hunter.
Most disappointing Viking of 2023
Alexander Mattison - RB
Alexander Mattison was brought back to be the lead back to replace Dalvin Cook last spring, but his first season as a starter didn’t go as planned.
The 25-year-old managed just 700 yards and 3.9 yards per carry last season while becoming just the 13th running back since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 to not have a rushing touchdown with at least 180 rushing attempts.
By the end of last season, Mattison was splitting time in the backfield with Ty Chandler, and the Vikings ranked 29th in rushing yards (1,553) and 23rd in yards per attempt (4.0).
While his performance was disappointing, there were warning signs that Mattison should have never been in this position.
The Vikings' decision to bring Mattison back was a complete 180, as he had a career-low 74 carries in 2022. Although he had a success rate of 47.3 percent last season, it was an outlier from his 43.7 percent career rate and regressed to 45 percent in 2023.
There’s also a chance that Mattison wasn’t even the Vikings’ Plan A, as they reportedly had an interest in David Montgomery before he signed with the Detroit Lions and had a starter’s grade on seventh-round pick DeWayne McBride before he failed to make the team in training camp.
Whatever the reason, Mattison’s “RB1” era didn’t work out, and the Vikings need to find a solution to the problem this offseason.