The NFL Draft is in the books and the depth chart of the 2023-24 Minnesota Vikings is beginning to take shape. Big questions still remain with key players like running back Dalvin Cook and edge rushers Danielle Hunter and Za’Darius Smith, but here’s a way-too-early look at what the offensive depth chart could look like next season.
Quarterback
Kirk Cousins, Nick Mullens, Jaren Hall
Barring a trade for Trey Lance, it looks like Kirk Cousins is the No. 1 QB in Minnesota for a sixth consecutive season in Minnesota. The big question is who will win the backup job. Mullens is a prototypical backup quarterback with experience at the 49ers and he already has a year learning Kevin O’Connell’s offense under his belt. Hall is the 25-year-old rookie who will have a chance to compete for the No. 2 job.
Running back
Alexander Mattison, Kene Nwangwu, Ty Chandler, Dewayne McBride
Where’s Dalvin Cook? The writing appears to be on the wall after the Vikings raved about seventh-round pick Dewayne McBride, whom general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said he gave “kind of a starter grade” to in his draft preparation.
Nwangwu has primarily been used as a kick returner but if Cook is traded or cut he’ll definitely get more of a look as a running back next season. Chandler was a fifth-round pick last year about whom the Vikings spoke glowingly, and Mattison is back after signing a two-year contract and seems to be on track to have the No. 1 job.
Wide receiver
Justin Jefferson, KJ Osborn, Jordan Addison, Jalen Nailor, Jalen Reagor, Brandon Powell
Jefferson is the best receiver in the NFL so no questions about who the No. 1 wideout is, but one of the best training camp stories will be the No. 2 competition between Osborn and Addison, the rookie drafted 23rd overall by the Vikings. The Vikings do play a lot of three receiver sets so it’s not as much a competition as it is a look at who will be Cousins’s go-to receiver after Jefferson, since it’s highly likely that Jefferson, Osborn and Addison are on the field together more often than not.
Where things get dicy is who has the ability to step up and play a larger role if Jefferson, Osborn or Addison get injured. The pressure is on Reagor to be better than he was a year ago when he was running the wrong routes, and Nailor will need to make a jump in his second year. Powell was signed in free agency and has experience working with O’Connell with the Rams.
Others who will try to make a name for themselves during camp will be Blake Proehl, Cephus Johnson III, Trishton Jackson, Thayer Thomas and Malik Knowles.
Tight end
T.J. Hockenson, Josh Oliver, Johnny Mundt, Ben Ellefson, Nick Muse
Hockenson and Oliver are the easy 1-2 punch this season. Hockenson for obvious reasons and Oliver because the Vikings made him a priority signing in free agency because he’s known as an incredible blocking tight end who can help improve Minnesota’s running game.
That puts a lot of pressure on Mundt, Ellefson and Muse (and undrafted rookie free agent Ben Sims) as they fight for a spot on the roster.
Offensive line
- LT: Christian Darrisaw
- LG: Ezra Cleveland
- C: Garrett Bradbury
- RG: Ed Ingram
- RT: Brian O’Neill
There are zero questions about who the starters are on the offensive line because it’s the same group that started last season. Darrisaw and O’Neill are elite tackles but Cleveland, Bradbury and Ingram were among the most abused interior linemen in the NFL last season. Ingram has a really solid excuse because he was thrust into a starter role as a rookie, but all three will need to improve in O’Connell’s second year if the Vikings hope to keep their quarterback clean and open running lanes for the backs.
Who are the backups and guys who might push for playing time?
The backup tackles are Blake Brandel and Oli Udoh, which is a reliable duo in the event that Darrisaw or O’Neill go down like they both did at times last season. On the inside, Chris Reed returns with positional flexibility at all three spots and Austin Schlottmann is the clear cut backup center.
Vederian Lowe, the tackle the Vikings drafted in the sixth round out of Illinois in 2022, will be worth watching in camp as well.
