3 offseason moves the Minnesota Vikings have to make to take the next step
From NFC North champions to tied for the worst record in the division. How can the Minnesota Vikings bounce back from a disappointing 2023 campaign?
It all went south in a hurry for a team that won 13 games and its first division title since 2017 a year ago. The Minnesota Vikings dropped to 7-10 this season, dropping six of its final seven contests. Four of those six losses down the stretch were to the Bears (1), Lions (2) and Packers (1) – three at home.
While the NFL playoffs continue, the organization must look to its immediate future, including the draft, free agency and the salary cap.
3. Address the secondary early in the 2024 NFL Draft
As it stands at the moment, the Vikings own the 11th overall pick in April’s draft and have a total of nine selections in this year’s proceedings. The team has its own second-round pick, but no third-round choice. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has a pair of picks in the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds, as well as a seventh-rounder. This is before the conditional draft choices, as well as the awarding of the compensatory selections.
A year after giving up the second-most passing yards in the NFL, the Vikings ranked 24th in the league in passing yards allowed. The club allowed 23 scores through the air and picked off only 11 passes. Byron Murphy Jr. led the way with three interceptions, but it’s also noteworthy that 12-year standout Harrison Smith did not pick off a pass for the first time in his stellar career.
The back end of the Minnesota defense could use some more playmakers.