4 Potential Vikings Breakout Candidates
The Minnesota Vikings saw a number of veteran players leave their franchise during the early stages of this offseason.
As a result, they are hoping to get some more production out of their depth players in 2024. Here is a look at four of those potential Vikings breakout candidates next season.
WR Jalen Nailor
The Vikings watched K.J. Osborn leave in free agency this offseason, thus leaving a bit of a void at the WR3 spot. Of course, the obvious replacement for that role is Brandon Powell, who re-signed with the team in free agency this spring.
However, a potentially underrated candidate to take a step up in 2024 is WR Jalen Nailor. The Michigan State product was selected by the Vikings in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, and he had a strong conclusion to 2022 before his 2023 season was derailed because of injury. Perhaps 2024 can be the year to get back on track with new opportunity.
TE Josh Oliver
As of now, the assumption for the Vikings is that T.J. Hockenson will miss at least a portion of the 2024 season because of the torn ACL and MCL that he suffered in Week 16 of the 2023 season against the Detroit Lions.
Because of that, Josh Oliver could be poised to take a big jump forward in terms of his production. The tight end has spent the entirety of his NFL career as a depth player after being a primary piece of San Jose State’s offense throughout his collegiate career. 2024 could provide that opportunity in Minnesota.
RB Ty Chandler
Ty Chandler’s breakout kind of already began down the stretch of the 2023 season, but 2024 could prove to be a big year for the third-year running back. After serving as the backup to Alexander Mattison throughout much of the 2023 campaign, Chandler is poised to take on a substantial role in the offense immediately this season after Mattison was released.
Of course, he will be competing with free agency acquisition Aaron Jones for touches, but unlike the beginning of the 2023 season, Chandler should immediately be considered a platoon option for Jones.
S Theo Jackson
Brian Flores was a safety whisperer during the 2023 season, and maybe he can pull it off again with another piece of Minnesota’s secondary.
Throughout the offseason, there have been rumblings that Harrison Smith could see a bit of a smaller role in 2024. It makes sense considering the veteran will enter his age-35 season this year. Theo Jackson seems to be the obvious candidate to take on more of those snaps if the Vikings continue to utilize safety-heavy personnel this season.
Which Vikings Rookie Should Have the Highest Expectations in 2024?
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.