3 Vikings starters who could be benched with a bad training camp
By Kristen Wong
Which Vikings starters are in danger of getting benched after training camp?
If you thought the 2022 Vikings season was a rollercoaster, just wait until you get through this year’s training camp.
The Minnesota Vikings enter 2023 with some of the most unforgettable moments — who could forget Justin Jefferson’s unbelievable catch against the Bills or the team’s 40-3 loss to the Cowboys, their second-worst loss at home in franchise history?
Which “unforgettable” will it be this year, the good kind or the bad kind? A little bit of both? Either way, there’s nothing like a quippy Cousin-ism (quoting Margaret Thatcher) to start the season off strong: “If my critics saw me walking on water, they would say it’s because I can’t swim.” Preach it, Kirk.
After much offseason shuffling, the Vikings have a reinvigorated squad looking to right last year’s playoff wrongs, but quite a few positions remain in flux.
Here are three starters who could be surprisingly benched after camp.
Vikings starter who could be benched No. 3: Camryn Bynum
The Vikings have one safety locked in: Harrison Smith. Who’s going to play next to him?
The general consensus is 2021 pick Camryn Bynum, who played the most defensive snaps of any Vikings player last season.
In his second year in Minnesota, Bynum recorded two picks, six passes defended, and a whopping 81 combined tackles — he’s definitely the guy to unseat. Entering the prime of his career, the only reason Bynum would fall down the depth chart is if former first-rounder Lewis Cine or Josh Metellus put together a truly jaw-dropping training camp.
Cine may have the higher ceiling of the two, but he’s severely short on experience; he broke his leg and ended up taking just two snaps in his rookie season in 2022. Should Bynum disappoint this summer, and should Cine stay healthy, the higher-upside product (Cine) may get the nod.
For what it’s worth, Pro Football Focus predicted Bynum would get the starting spot in 2023 but gives him a pretty abysmal rating, a lowly 58.7 overall grade. In his first full season, Cine could do Bynum one better.