Minnesota Vikings: 5 offseason needs

Heading into the 2018 NFL season, the Minnesota Vikings have some holes to fill, and here are five pressing needs to address.

One of the better stories of the 2017 NFL season was the play of the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings came out of nowhere to make it all the way to the NFC Championship Game, despite their starting quarterback, and running back going down for the season due to injury. Backup quarterback Case Keenum put together a career-year in place of the injured Sam Bradford, and he could be in for a big payday this offseason.

As the Vikings look towards next season, there are still some holes to fill on both sides of the ball. In addition, offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur left to become the head coach of the New York Giants, leaving the Vikings with Todd Downing as the new offensive coordinator. Downing was basically run out of Oakland last season, so it will be interesting to see how he does with a fresh slate in the Twin Cities.

5. Added depth at running back

The Minnesota Vikings drafted Dalvin Cook during the 2017 NFL Draft, and he certainly looked to be the real deal at the position. The speedster from Florida State was having an incredible rookie campaign before a knee injury robbed him of the rest of his season. In his place, the Vikings used the tandem of Jerick McKinnon and Latavius Murray, who played well enough to help the team to the NFC Championship Game.

Heading into next season, McKinnon is expected to bolt Minnesota, as he would likely be given a job as a featured back somewhere. The team does have Murray locked up, and the hope is that Cook will be back and ready to go for Week 1. Still, there is some depth needed at the position, and it could be something they fix via the NFL Draft, as there should be some solid runners in the later rounds.

Minnesota surprised a lot of people with their balance on offense last season, especially after Cook went down. Murray was a featured back during his time with the Oakland Raiders, and was expected to be the starter before the team drafted Cook. The running back position was a strength in 2017, and adding another body would make it one in 2018 as well.