Former Vikings Receiver Joins Forces with Kirk Cousins in Atlanta
Carolina collects former Vikings players. What about the Atlanta Falcons?
Former Vikings receiver Daylen Baldwin has landed a deal in Atlanta. Tori McElhaney and Terrin Waack of the Falcons’ website offer the update while then explaining some of the receiver’s history in Minnesota: “Baldwin is coming off a short stint with the Minnesota Vikings in 2023. He signed just before Thanksgiving in November but was released a few weeks later on Dec. 12. Though he signed a reserve/future contract with the Vikings after the 2023 season, he was waived earlier this month.”
Former Vikings Receiver Agrees to Become a Falcon
Vikings fans have been monitoring the wide receiver position fairly closely.
Justin Jefferson still hasn’t signed his extension, so there’s understandable angst about that deal getting across the finish line. And then there’s uncertainty about who is going to jump into the WR3 opening given that K.J. Osborn is now calling New England home. Within that context, the Vikings still moved on from Baldwin.
The common understanding of Atlanta’s offense is that Kirk Cousins will function as the missing piece, the high-floor, very good quarterback who can finally let the skill flourish. In particular, onlookers focus on recent 1st-Round additions on offense: receiver Drake London, tight end Kyle Pitts, and running back Bijan Robinson.
Can Daylen Baldwin help?
Atlanta is operating within the NFC South, which looks like one of the easier divisions in football. The Panthers were the worst team in football last year while the Saints are struggling to remain relevant. Tampa exceeded expectations, winning the division and then making a bit of noise in the playoffs. Can they replicate that success in 2024?
Minnesota is operating within an increasingly difficult division. Detroit almost represented the NFC in the Super Bowl and Green Bay went further than most people predicted. Even worse, Chicago landed Caleb Williams, someone whom many regard as a legitimate franchise QB.
Winning the North won’t be easy.
The Vikings have been making their own additions recently, but their focus has been at tight end. Sammis Reyes and Robert Tonyan each agreed to deals with Minnesota last week. The hope is that they’ll solidify the position as T.J. Hockenson works back to full health.
In Week 14, the Vikings and Falcons will play a pivotal game. Both teams are expected to be pretty good while falling short of being among the game’s best. So, it’s certainly possible that each one enters the contest feeling like they need to snatch the victory to stay alive in the NFC playoff race. In fact, the two teams could be competing over the same Wild Card spot.
Vikings fans will be hoping to avoid a situation where Kirk Cousins finds Daylen Baldwin for a touchdown.
A quick look at Atlanta’s roster reveals that former Vikings Mike Hughes, Kyle Hinton, Storm Norton, and Taylor Heinicke are also calling Georgia home.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.