The Vikings’ opened Organized Team Activities this week with two practices, including one that was open to the media on Tuesday.
While it was only one off-season workout, and contact is not allowed, there still were plenty of items of interest.
What to make of Justin Jefferson's absence from OTAs
It will be a big story if a player skips the Vikings’ mandatory minicamp on June 13-14, but absences from OTA sessions happen for a variety of reasons and, most importantly, come during workouts that are not mandatory.
Justin Jefferson, the Vikings’ star wide receiver, was among those who weren’t present Tuesday and, according to teammate K.J. Osborn, is training in Miami.
“I talked to him (Tuesday) morning,” Osborn said. “He’s excited. He’ll be back. He’s down there working. … We were able to train a lot together and pick each other’s brains.”
Jefferson is eligible for a contract extension this offseason — one that could make him the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL — but he still has two years remaining on his rookie contract.
If Jefferson isn’t at TCO Performance Center on June 13, Vikings fans will have reason to panic. Right now, there’s no reason to be concerned.
What a difference a coordinator makes
A year ago, the Vikings opened OTAs with the expectation that new defensive coordinator Ed Donatell was going to bring Vic Fangio’s popular scheme to Minnesota.
Unpredictable, multiple, pain the in the backside for opponents, the Vikings’ defense was supposed to be much improved from Mike Zimmer’s final season. We quickly found out that Donatell’s sales pitch to coach Kevin O’Connell was all talk and little action.
That is going to change under Brian Flores.
Players on both sides of the ball marveled at how fast the Vikings’ defense was playing in Tuesday’s practice. It’s clear Flores is going to do everything that Donatell said he would.
Veteran safety Harrison Smith, who wasn’t on the field Tuesday, isn’t going to again have a zero-sack season. Smith likely will be used the way he was when Zimmer’s defense was one of the most feared in the NFL, blitzing on one play, faking a blitz on the next and often causing confusion.
Flores also looks like he’s going to get creative in how he uses his personnel. How so? Packages that feature three safeties at the same time seem likely.
The 2022 Vikings defense — one of the worst in the NFL — looked and played slow. Considering Flores’ defense was playing fast in late May, it’s safe to assume that speed will only increase as players become more familiar with the scheme.
Alexander Mattison moves up the depth chart
The future of running back Dalvin Cook remains unclear, but his departure from Minnesota looks like a near certainty. That will put Alexander Mattison atop the depth chart for the first time since the Vikings made him a third-round pick in the 2019 draft.
Mattison, who had a career-low 283 yards rushing on 74 carries last season, elected to return to the Vikings in March rather than sign elsewhere as a free agent. He received a two-year, $7 million contract, but you have to wonder if he also received an assurance that he would get more carries.
Cook carries a $14.1 million salary cap hit for 2023 and the Vikings can save $11 million if they trade him with a post-June 1 designation. If Cook is cut post-June 1, that number is $9 million.
Mattison called Cook “my guy” when asked about him on Tuesday, but Cook wasn’t present for the OTA. Mattison elected not to go into detail when asked if having an increased role in the offense played a part in his decision to return to the Vikings.
“There was a lot that played into it,” Mattison said. “The biggest thing was loving it here.”
Seeing a substantial increase in his rushing attempts would give Mattison more reason to love Minnesota.
Kevin O'Connell working with Jaren Hall and other items of interest
- It was interesting seeing quarterbacks Kirk Cousins, Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall work under the watchful eye of O’Connell. Hall, whom the Vikings selected in the fifth round out of BYU last month, received plenty of instruction from O’Connell. This included what appeared to be O’Connell talking to Hall about his release point. O’Connell, a former quarterback, figures to spend plenty of time working with Hall this season.
- Wide receiver Jordan Addison, the Vikings’ first-round pick, watched practice but did not participate. So what was wrong? Addison elected not to stop to answer that question as he left the field. Jefferson’s absence, and Addison’s non-participation, left Osborn as the top wide receiver.
- Right tackle Brian O’Neill made a late appearance on the field but did not take part in the workout as he continues to recover from the partially torn Achilles’ he suffered in Week 17 at Green Bay. O’Neill likely won’t resume football activities until training camp. Oli Udoh spent time at right tackle with O’Neill out.
- Safety Lewis Cine, who suffered a compound fracture to his lower leg in Week 4 of last season during a game against New Orleans, took part in practice and looks like he will get an opportunity to win the starting job opposite Smith. Cine, the Vikings’ first-round pick in 2022, lost that job to Cam Bynum during off-season workouts a year ago. Even if Cine becomes a regular at safety, Bynum could see time in different packages designed by Flores.
