Questions Answered: Most Irreplaceable Player, Low on Tyler Linderbaum, Kyle Sloter and the USFL
Dustin Baker
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The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by PurplePTSD. Today is the April 18th 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.
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Q: Who would you consider the most irreplaceable 2022 player on the Vikings roster in the event of injury?
A: Well, not everyone will like it, but it has to be Cousins, right?
Sean Mannion or Kellen Mond wouldn’t inspire confidence if Cousins went down for an extended period. And it is unlikely that Kwesi Adofo-Mensah selects Malik Willis or Kenny Pickett in the draft.
Cousins is responsible for 30+ touchdowns per season. Whether you like him or not, not many men can pull that off every year.
Otherwise, if the Vikings don’t strut out of the 2022 NFL Draft with a startable cornerback, an argument here can be made for Patrick Peterson.
Q: Tyler Linderbaum is considered the best interior offensive lineman in the draft. Why are Vikings fans so low on him?
A: Vikings fans are tired of drafting offensive linemen with high-round draft capital.
Indeed, the trenches haven’t been fixed, but Minnesota has overspent trying to solve the malady, drafting an offensive lineman in the 2nd-Round-or-higher in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021.
They should be able to fix the problem organically, choosing men from the 3rd or 4th Round.
Q: Saw Kyle Sloter in the USFL as a starter. Why wouldn’t the Vikings ever give him a QB2 job?
A: Sloter played for all of these teams:
Broncos: 2017 training camp
Vikings: 2017-19 active roster
Cardinals: 2019 practice squad
Lions: 2019 active roster
Bears: 2020 practice squad
Raiders: 2021 practice squad
Vikings: 2021 active roster
Not a single franchise allowed the man to throw a regular-season pass.
He’s truly a preseason — and preseason only — hero.
Either that or multiple teams and coaching staffs are completely oblivious.
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 Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
