Tyler Conklin Is Turning Into a Legitimate TE2 for The Vikings
K. Joudry
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There are a ton of strong options in the Minnesota Vikings’ offense. Dalvin Cook, of course, gets more than his fair share of touches. Meanwhile, Kirk Cousins is tasked with distributing the ball to a collection of strong pass catchers: Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, Kyle Rudolph, and Irv Smith Jr. It should be unsurprising, then, that Tyler Conklin — the Minnesota Vikings’ third tight end — is often overlooked. On Sunday, an injury to Rudolph opened an opportunity, and Conklin took advantage.
Conklin’s Sunday Performance
Tyler Conklin was chosen in the fifth round of the 2018 draft. Since that time, Conklin hasn’t been a big part of Minnesota’s offense. His contributions have largely come on blocking assignments and then on special teams. During his rookie year, Conklin had five catches for 77 yards. His sophomore season resulted in eight catches for 58 yards. Against Tampa Bay, Conklin had arguably the best game of his career: five catches for 40 yards.
Conklin tested reasonably well at the combine. He runs a 4.8 forty and put up eighteen reps on the bench press. He also demonstrated some impressive explosiveness. Part of the issue, though, is that he has long been buried behind two strong options: Rudolph and Smith. Conklin gained far more opportunity on Sunday due to injury. He played 57% of Minnesota’s offensive snaps.
PFF was complementary of Conklin’s game, grading him as Minnesota’s fourth-best offensive player with a 76.1 score. His Next Gen Stats chart suggests that he was a safe option for Cousins, one who did a nice job of getting open on shallow routes. In the above video, you’ll not only see Cousins do a good job with the Brady-Wiggle, you’ll also see Conklin doing a great job of attacking the ball as he secures a first down. Later on in that drive, Conklin converted on a fourth and six. In fact, four of his five catches went for first downs. Overall, Conklin had a really nice game.
Conclusion
If he can show continued strong play over these next few games, Tyler Conklin may not be the Minnesota Vikings’ third tight end for very long. There’s no debating that the Vikings find themselves in a tough spot with the upcoming Covid Cap. Would Conklin’s development finally prompt Minnesota to move on from Rudolph?
Immediately after Tampa Bay took a disheartening 7-6 lead on Sunday, Gary Kubiak called a tight end screen to Conklin. With Garrett Bradbury leading the way, Conklin picked up fifteen yards. It was the perfect response to Tampa Bay’s long touchdown pass. Unfortunately for Conklin and his Vikings, Minnesota wasn’t able to turn their offensive success into points. What that play shows, though, is that Conklin is more than capable of thriving as Minnesota’s #2 tight end.
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