Questions Answered: Vikings Top Need in 2023 Offseason, Chris Reed, Bears No. 1 Pick
Dustin Baker
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The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by PurplePTSD. Today is the January 10th 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: Vikings Top Need in 2023 Offseason, Chris Reed, Bears No. 1 Pick
Q: What is the Vikings top 2023 offseason need?
A: Well, this has changed substantially in the last couple of months — but WR2.
Suddenly, Adam Thielen hit a wall in 2022 and doesn’t appear to be heading toward a performance reclamation. He’s probably best served as a WR3 in 2023. And that means the Vikings will need a productive WR2 to take the heat off Justin Jefferson.
Minnesota will have a late-1st-Round pick and could reasonably explore a WR2. Vikings fans love when the team drafts wide receivers, so the process should be fun.
Q: Can Chris Reed actually be good at center in the playoffs if needed?
A: Yes, Chris Reed is actually a really good football player.
He had an awful Vikings debut in Week 17 at Green Bay, but a week’s worth of practice did the body good. It is unclear when Garrett Bradbury will return, so Reed “has to be” good. Otherwise, the Vikings playoff hopes will tumble fast.
Reed is a career offensive guard that needed a little time to acclimate to center.
He played well in Chicago and should be trusted against the Giants if Bradbury cannot play.
Q: Do the Bears use the first overall pick to select a quarterback?
A: No.
We sincerely believe Poles enjoyed Justin Fields’ 2022 maturation and will hence stay committed to Fields for the long haul. Our guess? Poles flips the No. 1 overall pick for a mind-boggling haul of picks and players — akin to the Robert Griffin III trade in 2012 or Trey Lance deal in 2021.
Of course, Poles probably couldn’t go wrong with drafting Bryce Young, but the Bears have a lot invested in Fields, and the Ohio State alumnus appears to be on a promising developmental path.
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 Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).