3 Young Vikings Who Could See an Increased Role in the Coming Weeks
The Minnesota Vikings have gotten off to a 1-4 start during the 2023 season, and they are set to be without star wide recevier Justin Jefferson for at least the next four weeks.
Things could quickly get worse for the Vikings before they get better this year, especially considering the schedule that lays in front of them over the next month.
As a result, there could be some extra playing time for some young Vikings in the coming weeks. Here is a look at three rookies who could quickly garner larger roles with the team.
WR Jordan Addison
Jordan Addison’s placement on this list is obvious. Without Jefferson in the lineup, and considering K.J. Osborn’s struggles this season, the Vikings offense will be relying on the rookie first-round pick to take on a lot of the pass-catching responsibilities moving forward.
The Vikings did bring both N’Keal Harry and Trishton Jackson onto the 53-man roster after placing Jefferson on IR, so there will be other options, but the rookie is the main man at the WR position right now.
Addison proved throughout his collegiate career that he could handle a large workload, catching 219 passes for 3134 yards and 29 TDs over the course of three seasons. Hopefully, he will be able to take on that responsibility again moving forward with the Vikings.
CB Mekhi Blackmon
Akayleb Evans has gotten a bit banged up this season. To start Week 6, he was on Minnesota’s Wednesday injury report as a limited participant due to a knee injury. This injury forced him to miss a good chunk of Sunday’s loss against the Chiefs, and Blackmon got a lot of the snaps in relief.
Defensive coordinator Brian Flores praised the rookie cornerback on Thursday morning, saying, “Mekhi’s done a good job really throughout. He’s smart, it’s important to him, he works hard at it.”
The cornerback had four tackles and a very nice pass breakup on Sunday, and if Evans is operating at less than 100%, Blackmon seems in line to take on a bit larger of a role with the defense.
DT Jaquelin Roy
Interestingly, Jaquelin Roy started Sunday’s game against the Chiefs with the defense. However, those were his only defensive snaps of the game, finishing with four.
Roy has not had much of a chance with the Vikings defense so far, but considering the production (or lack thereof) that Minnesota has seen from the interior of their defensive line, it would make sense for Roy to get a larger opportunity soon.
Harrison Phillips has put up decent production this season, but neither Jonathan Bullard nor Dean Lowry have done much. The two veterans have combined for 10 solo tackles, 2 QB pressures, and 0 sacks. Roy’s opportunity could come sooner than later if these two don’t become more effective soon.
Kevin O’Connell Needs to Evolve
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.