Questions Answered: One Dalvin Out, the Young Guys, Strength of Schedule
Dustin Baker
|
The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by PurplePTSD. Today is the February 20th edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to [email protected].
Also, please note: These are opinion-based responses. Some answers will be incorrect from time to time. But we’ll try to keep that to a minimum.
Questions Answered: One Dalvin Out, the Young Guys, Strength of Schedule
Q: Since the Vikings didn’t extend Dalvin Tomlinson today by the void-year deadline, is he likely gone from the 2023 roster?
A: Well, the likelihood of Tomlinson rejoining the Vikings shrunk on Monday. If he were to return, an extension likely would’ve been sealed on February 20th. The void money from his last contract now cements against the Vikings books ($7.5 million) — when it could’ve been spread around if the Vikings welcomed him back for another couple of years.
He could still return, but Monday was kind of a line in the sand to guarantee he would be back on financially smart teams. The team could be eyeing Khyiris Tonga — he was re-signed over the weekend for cheap — for starting duty or perhaps look at a different defensive tackle in free agency or the draft.
Q: Brian Flores mentioned Lewis Cine, Andrew Booth, and Brian Asamoah as young guys he’s excited to develop. Will they start Week 1?
A: We believe Cine and Asamoah will start in 2023, while Booth’s prognosis is unclear.
Booth should start sooner rather than later, but fellow rookie Akayleb Evans leapfrogged him on the depth chart in 2022 regardless of injuries.
The Vikings have Booth, Evans, and Cameron Dantzler under contract at CB, with the possibility of bringing back Patrick Peterson and Duke Shelley. Booth should reasonably beat out those men this summer for a starting job. But we shall see.
If Cine doesn’t start in 2023, there will have been a major problem with his injury recovery. And Asamoah should be moved up the depth chart when Jordan Hicks is inevitably released.
Q: What’s the Vikings strength of schedule look like for 2023?
A: It doesn’t mean a whole lot because we haven’t seen the offseason, but the Vikings have the league’s 18th most difficult schedule in 2023 per 2022 wins and losses.
They have eight home and nine road games as the NFC gets “the road schedule” next year.
On paper, Minnesota’s 2023 schedule seems a lot more difficult than the 2022 version
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.