3 Ways to Replace Jordan Addison
Jordan Addison was handed a three-game suspension to start the upcoming NFL campaign. He’ll miss the first three weeks of the J.J. McCarthy era. The absence was hardly surprising given the standard suspension for a DUI is three games, and pretty much everyone involved must have expected it.
3 Ways to Replace Jordan Addison
Surprising or not, the Vikings will have to figure out a way to replace their third-year threat and navigate through those three weeks. Here are three ways to achieve that.
1. More Josh Oliver
One way to replace the absent receiver is to play fewer receivers. Instead of sending three wideouts onto the field, just give your second tight end more run.
Josh Oliver is one of the elite run blockers in all of football, and he has shown the ability to catch a pass, especially last year without T. J Hockenson on the field. In each of the last two seasons, Oliver caught 22 passes for over 200 yards and a combined five touchdowns.
More heavy personnel generally helps in the ground game and forces the opponent to play bigger, too, which might just open up more room for Justin Jefferson. Oliver signed a three-year extension worth $23.25 million, and the Vikings clearly value the former Jaguars and Ravens tight end. Expect his role to grow early on.
All of those points count for C.J. Ham, too. Instead of replacing the wideout with another wideout, the Vikings could insert their versatile fullback.
2. Trust the Depth
Let’s go the other way now and replace the playmaker with his backups. Jalen Nailor getting more targets is a given either way. But behind him, the receiving group is getting truly uncertain.
Lucky Jackson has gotten some reps with the first team during Jefferson’s recent absence, and he might be a sneaky breakout candidate in his third year with the club. Rookie Tai Felton was drafted for a reason. And while he still needs to work on some fundamentals, he has the ability to make plays after the catch. Some schemed plays for him could be in the cards.
Another option is Rondale Moore, who has experience in the league and could be a safety blanket for McCarthy on short passes over the middle, as he also possesses a certain quickness. His speed could be used on clear-out routes, too.
3. External Help
Finally, we arrive at the most splashy way to replace Mr. Addison: By adding someone from the outside.
There are plenty of players available, most notably Amari Cooper, who has yet to find a new team. In 2023, he eclipsed 1,000 yards with the Browns. Last year, the Bills traded for him, and his role diminished for some reason. He’s still a more proven player than the guys in the previous category, but his salary demands might be too high for a WR3 or WR4 following Addison’s return.
Adam Thielen is a name that has been floated around in Skol Nation. The Panthers are building through younger talent, and Thielen might slowly be pushed out. Of course, the sentimental value is also there. If he agrees to said WR3/WR4 role, he might be a decent get.
How about trading virtually nothing to bring K.J. Osborn back? The Commanders haven’t used him at all, and he might not even make the team. He can block, and he has been a reliable depth receiver for the Vikings before.
There are dozens of players like that available.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.