How many new starters will the Vikings have in 2023?

Last season, the Minnesota Vikings finished with the NFL's eighth-best offense when it came to points scored per game and the fifth-worst defense in terms of points allowed.

So it's no surprise that the defensive side of the ball for the Vikings is the unit that is likely going to have the most new faces in the starting lineup when the team takes the field for their 2023 regular-season opener on September 10th against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

That's not to say Minnesota's offense isn't expected to roll out some new starters as well. The Vikings did part with longtime starters Dalvin Cook and Adam Thielen this past offseason, so replacements for their spots in the starting lineup were needed.

Below is a list of players that could potentially be Week 1 starters for the first time in a Minnesota uniform this season.

Offense

• Alexander Mattison - RB
• Jordan Addison - WR2

Defense

• Dean Lowry - DL
• Khyiris Tonga - DL
• Marcus Davenport - OLB
• Ivan Pace Jr. - ILB
• Brian Asamoah - ILB
• Byron Murphy - CB1
• Akayleb Evans - CB2

As one can see, the Vikings' opening-day defense is probably going to look extremely different compared to just one year ago.

Six of the seven defensive players listed above are basically guaranteed to start in Week 1 unless they suffer a significant injury before the matchup.

When it comes to the inside linebacker spots, there's a chance rookie Ivan Pace Jr. and Brian Asamoah could both begin the 2023 season as starters for Minnesota's new-look defense. But the more likely scenario has either Pace or Asamoah in the starting lineup in Week 1, with Jordan Hicks getting the other starting inside linebacker spot.

Either way, more than half of the spots on the Vikings starting defense this year are going to be filled by someone who's never been a member of Minnesota's Week 1 starting lineup.

After last season's debacle, major changes were needed on the defensive side of the ball for the Vikings this year, and the team has clearly taken that seriously.