2016 NFL offseason: Minnesota Vikings needs

After an 11-5 season which led to winning the NFC North, the Minnesota Vikings look to make enough tweaks in the offseason to repeat as division champions

Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer has turned the franchise around in his two seasons at the helm. In 2015 the team won the NFC North with a record of 11-5  and looked poised to move on in the playoffs during a defensive game played in extremely cold conditions against the Seattle Seahawks.

A missed chip-shot field goal by the normally reliable kicker Blair Walsh allowed the Seahawks to escape with a 10-9 loss, but still can provide some confidence for Minnesota going forward. Their young quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was efficient and helped the team get in position to win the game late. He didn’t make many mistakes and proved the spotlight wasn’t too big for him.

At running back, their star player Adrian Peterson showed he still has a lot left in the tank despite being on the wrong side of 30. Behind him they feature one of the better backups in the NFL in Jerick McKinnon.

The strength of the team though is their defense, which Zimmer has done a great job of building. With stars like defensive end Everson Griffen and safety Harrison Smith working with talented young players like linebacker Anthony Barr, the needle is still pointing up for this unit.

As 2016 approaches the Vikings could make some real progress with a few minor tweaks to their roster. Before getting into that, we need to see who may be on their way out the door.

Next: Players who may be leaving