The Vikings have moved into the second phase of their offseason program, setting up a busy schedule through mid-June with a rookie minicamp, Organized Team Activities preceding a two-day minicamp that will end on June 14.
Only the minicamp is mandatory but the majority of players will take part in the OTAs and classroom sessions that will involve instillations of significant portions of the offense and defense.
That makes this an important time of the year. Here are four storylines to monitor during this period.
Kirk Cousins' contract situation remains unclear but QB appears at ease
Kirk Cousins seemed at peace with his situation on Wednesday as he answered questions from local reporters for the first time since the Vikings decided against giving him a contract extension in March.
That means Cousins will be entering the final season of his deal for the first time since he joined the Vikings in 2018. This isn’t new for a quarterback who played on the final year of his contract three times while with Washington.
Cousins’ mood was probably improved by the fact his current team didn’t take a quarterback in the first round, as had been rumored, and instead went with USC wide receiver Jordan Addison with the 23rd pick.
Cousins, who will turn 35 in August, again will have no competition for the starting job. Jaren Hall, taken in the fifth round out of BYU, figures to be project.
If Cousins has another good season in coach Kevin O’Connell’s system, he is likely to receiver another big payday, either from the Vikings or another team.
The advantage Cousins has is that he will be playing in the same offensive system for the second year in a row. The Vikings’ had a revolving door of offensive coordinators under former coach Mike Zimmer and that meant Cousins had to either learn a new system or make adjustments.
A year ago, he acknowledged his head was swimming as he attempted to run a new offense in off-season workouts. That is no longer an issue and that has to be of some comfort to Cousins.
Lewis Cine will get chance to put rookie season behind him
Video of Lewis Cine working on the field Wednesday provided optimism that the safety will be ready to return from a compound fracture of his left leg he suffered in Week 4 of last season while covering a punt against the Saints in London.
The injury ended what already had been a difficult year for Cine. The Vikings’ first-round pick played only two defensive snaps in three games and had lost his chance for a starting spot to Cam Bynum during the offseason program.
You have to think the Vikings are excited to see new defensive coordinator Brian Flores give Cine the kind of opportunity that one-and-done coordinator Ed Donatell didn’t. It’s on Cine to prove he used the time he had to study and watch film to make him more NFL-ready than he was a season ago.
Cine’s lack of playing time before his injury is one reason many thought general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s first draft class was a bust, but that perception will change if Cine is starting on opening day.
The Vikings selected Cine with the 32nd and final pick of the first round — a selection they obtained from the Lions — because they like the fact the former Georgia Bulldog is a big hitter with plenty of athletic ability.
Cine should get a chance to show that starting with these workouts.
Cornerback competition appears wide open
The Vikings had one of the NFL’s worst defenses last season, leading to several changes. The first was the decision to replace Donatell with Flores. Another change will come at cornerback.
Gone are starter Patrick Peterson (signed with Pittsburgh as a free agent), starting nickel corner Chandon Sullivan (signed with the Steelers) and occasional starter Cameron Dantzler (joined Washington after being placed on waivers). Backups Duke Shelley (Raiders) and Kris Boyd (Cardinals) also departed.
Byron Murphy Jr., signed a two-year, $17.5 million free agent deal in March and is likely the only cornerback on the roster guaranteed a starting job. It remains to be seen if that’s outside or inside in the nickel.
Andrew Booth Jr., and Akayleb Evans, both selected in the 2022 draft, are the only returning corners who received playing time. Both had their season ended by injury. JoeJuan Williams, a second-round pick by the Patriots in 2019, was signed to a one-year contract in April, and veteran John Reid was claimed off waivers on Thursday after being released by Atlanta.
Third-round pick Mehki Blackmon from USC and fourth-round selection Jay Ward from LSU were added to the mix last week. Ward also can be used at safety, and Bynum played corner in college.
Versatility is key to what Flores wants to do and he certainly has been presented some options by Adofo-Mensah.
Running back room loses its leader
Running back Dalvin Cook remains under contract but he isn’t attending workouts (they are voluntary) and rumors continue to swirl that he will be either trades or released this offseason.
Cook, who is scheduled to count $14.1 million against the salary cap for this season, will turn 28 in August and has played six seasons for the Vikings. While there’s always a possibility he could take a pay cut, that seems unlikely and means the leader in the running back room will be Alexander Mattison.
Mattison, who will turn 25 on June 19, was selected in the third round of the 2019 draft and has been Cook’s backup since then. He rushed for a career-low 283 yards on only 74 carries last season, but the Vikings retained him by signing him to a two-year, $7 million deal in March.
He will be joined 2022 fifth-round pick Ty Chandler, 2023 seventh-round pick DeWayne McBride and Kene Nwangwu, who is primarily used on kick returns.
Mattison figures to be the Vikings’ starter, but it won’t be surprising if O’Connell utilizes a running back committee more than he did while giving Cook 264 rushing attempts last season.
