Minnesota is coming off a down year. Mike Zimmer, a defensive-minded head coach, saw that side of the ball struggle to get stops. Yes, injuries are much to blame, but the unit still seemed like it needed work this offseason.
The Vikings mostly used free agency as a way to fix that group, signing DT Dalvin Tomlinson, CB Patrick Peterson, DT Sheldon Richardson and more. Minnesota even shored up the offense with the addition of Dede Westbrook.
Our friends at Touchdown Wire are still not impressed. Doug Farrar, for writes for the outlet, tabbed Minnesota as the 15th best team in the NFL. Farrar wrote:
“Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer is one of the more obvious “no-bull[bleep]” guys in the NFL, so imagine how he feels now that his team seems to be embroiled in nothing but bull[bleep]. The team released 2020 first-round pick Jeff Gladney after Gladney’s felony assault indictment, and though the football part isn’t the most important thing here, that leaves a thin cornerback group even thinner.
Then, there’s the whole COVID thing. The Vikings have by far the lowest percentage of vaccinated players of any team, and that’s already led to all kinds of availability drama with the quarterback group.”
The Vikings are definitely making some risky bets for 2021, but so are many NFL teams. Minnesota needs its free agent signings to adjust quickly. It also needs the special teams to be better — pretty much across the board.
Not only that, but the Vikings need their stars on offense to stay heathy like last year. The team got some bad news on that front when wideout Justin Jefferson left practice with an injury Friday. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, though, it does not appear to be serious.
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