Cuts Are Upcoming
One of the positives and negatives of the offseason is that teams have a roster competition. On the one hand, it’s exciting to see one’s favorite team take shape. The closer we get to the 53-man roster, the easier it is to see what kind of team Minnesota will have. On the other hand, it’s always discouraging to see players fail to make the team. The news must be challenging to accept, and one has to think that it’s also difficult for the coaches. The Minnesota Vikings will need to make 5 cuts by tomorrow.
For the next three weeks, the Vikings will be trimming down their roster. Indeed, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, Kevin O’Connell, and the rest of the staff will need to cut players for the next three Tuesdays. Of course, all the decisions don’t necessarily need to be made tomorrow. The team may decide on cuts today, but the deadlines are the 16th, 23rd, and 30th.
One wonders, then, who will be the first ones to be let go. Some of the positions with the most depth are receiver, running back, and defensive tackle. At all three spots, there is high-end talent and strong role players. That doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll see receivers, running backs, and/or defensive tackles cut, but it’s certainly plausible. It’s also notable that the team is currently carrying two punters. At some point, that’s going to change.
The Minnesota Vikings, quite evidently, have several decisions to make when it comes to cuts. One thing I’ve learned since I began writing about the team is that NFL executives and coaches often have a very different perspective from fans and writers. After all, there’s a reason why they have the jobs they do. The point is merely that the team will have criteria that is more sophisticated and nuanced than what’s put forth from outside the team. They may make decisions that are unexpected.
A positive is that Kevin O’Connell has experience in this area. True, he’s a first-time head coach, so he’s doing a lot for the first time. However, he was cut as a player, as we recently discussed. The Vikings HC should thus be able to empathize with the players who get released. Hopefully, K/O can deliver the news in a manner that is productive insofar as it can hopefully allow the players to better prepare for the next opportunity.
Stay tuned, folks. We’ll be doing our best to keep Vikings fans updated on what Minnesota decides for the cuts.
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