Check Out the 3 New Vikings Starters on the Offensive Side of the Ball
Last week, the consideration rested on the new Vikings starters for defense. Flipping sides means taking a look to see how many new players are soon to start on offense.
Kevin O’Connell, the head coach who simultaneously coordinates the offense, is seeing a high-profile quarterback battle take place. Kyler Murray is a heavy favorite to be the Week 1 starter (but that’s an ongoing debate). Consider who else is being included as starters.
3 New Vikings Starters for KOC
Up front, the Minnesota Vikings boast a lot of continuity. Christian Darrisaw alongside Donovan Jackson — the LT1 and LG1 — and Brian O’Neill alongside Will Fries — the RT1 and RG1 — are coming back, albeit with a new position coach.
Where there’s some uncertainty is at center.
Blake Brandel is moving toward the starting spot, but it’s not difficult to envision a world where somebody different gets scooped up for the position. Even the in-house options will have a say on who gets to start. Brandel needs to fend off Michael Jurgens, Gavin Gerhardt, and Delby Lemieux.
Check out how things would look if the veteran secures the top spot:
| Christian Darrisaw | Donovan Jackson | Blake Brandel | Will Fries | Brian O’Neill |
| Kyler Murray | ||||
| Aaron Jones | ||||
| Justin Jefferson | T.J. Hockenson | Jordan Addison | Jauan Jennings |
Seeing a game get played tonight likely involves a hearty helping of 11 personnel, the collection of skill that includes three receivers. Mr. Jennings, a great signing, is going to be the WR3 who has an outside shot at being the WR2.
Otherwise, everything is familiar apart from the two players most crucial to the literal snap.
The man doing the snapping (Brandel) is sending the ball back to the quarterback (Murray), who is also new. We’ll see if J.J. McCarthy can make a compelling enough case to undercut what many think is a competition that’s working toward a predetermined outcome.
The wild cards in the mix are found among the running backs.
In a basic sense, FB Max Bredeson could be a starter some weeks if the move is to lean on heavier personnel to begin games. Likewise, Jordan Mason could end up being the starter at RB since he’s younger than Jones and quite a talented player. TE Josh Oliver isn’t a runner but, rather, someone who makes the running game successful as a tremendous blocker. He will earn some starts.
Speedy runner Demond Claiborne doesn’t appear likely to start, but he’s got blazing speed (alongside a desire to emulate Alvin Kamara). Backup large lad Caleb Tiernan looks like a nice pick late in the 3rd, but he’s most likely to settle in as depth. Other talent on that side of the ball doesn’t appear likely to be in the mix to start on a weekly basis, such as WR4 Tai Felton.
Best guess: a trio of new starters on offense for the Vikings, but with the caveat that Mason (and sometimes Bredeson and/or Oliver) make things interesting from time to time.
We’ll see how the unfolding offseason competition changes the calculus, if at all.
