EAGAN, Minn. — It was an eventful offseason for the Minnesota Vikings, starting with a new face under center.
For the first time since 2018, Kirk Cousins won't start the season as the team's quarterback. Instead, Minnesota signed former No. 3 overall pick Sam Darnold, and drafted a QB in the top 10 for the first time in franchise history. The intended plan was to have that rookie, J.J. McCarthy, develop under Darnold, and perhaps take over at some point during the season, but an injury to the young product out of Michigan forced Minnesota to move forward with Darnold as the starter and Nick Mullens as his backup.
The defense also looks much different than it did a year ago, starting with a revamped secondary and a new group of pass rushers to replace veteran Danielle Hunter, who signed with the Houston Texans during the offseason.
As a result, there will be plenty to monitor as the Vikings begin their 2024 campaign Sunday on the road against the New York Giants. Here are 11 things to watch in Minnesota's season opener:
Sam Darnold makes Vikings debut
This will no doubt be the best situation Sam Darnold has ever been in with a quarterback-friendly scheme and two game-changing receivers on the outside. Since being drafted No. 3 overall by the New York Jets back in 2018, Darnold has never had this many options to play with. He'll also get another reliable target in T.J. Hockenson at some point this season — possibly as early as Week 5 — as the two-time Pro Bowl tight end continues to recover from an ACL injury he suffered back in December.
Darnold has a big arm and will be able to stretch the field with Jefferson and Addison, but he'll need to avoid the costly mistakes that have plagued him for much of his career. His 63-to-56 touchdown-to-interception ratio will certainly need to improve if he's going to find any success this season, but he'll have plenty of weapons to help him along the way.
Darnold played just one watered-down series in the preseason, so this will be the first real look at what he can do in head coach Kevin O'Connell's offense, and it will come on the same field he once called home during his three seasons with the Jets.
"The one thing he's done is come out and be able to throw the football extremely well throughout the spring and throughout the fall," said Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips. "We're really excited about Sam and the kind of year we believe he can have and will have."
Aaron Jones looks to revive Vikings' rushing attack
The Vikings finished with the fourth-worst rushing attack in the league a season ago, but adding an established running back could help get the ground game back on track. Minnesota signed longtime Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones in the offseason, providing the team a steady veteran in the backfield.
Jones has also been fairly durable prior to 2023, missing only four games the previous four seasons before missing six games last season. Jones can also be effective in the passing game as he's just two years removed from a career-best, 59-catch campaign in 2022.
The biggest downside for Jones is that he's approaching that dreaded 30-year age mark where running backs typically see a massive drop-off in productivity. Minnesota also has Ty Chandler, who showed some positive signs last season, but Jones will certainly be the go-to guy to start out the season.
"He’s just a good runner,” Phillips said of Jones. “He sees the field really well. He sees a lot and can tell you real-time what he’s seeing and why he made a certain cut, so just having another talented back there is also a bonus for us. The offensive line looks a lot better when you have good runners back there.”
Fresh faces in the secondary
There will be plenty of fresh faces on defense this season, especially in the secondary. After allowing the ninth-most passing yards in the league, Minnesota added a few veterans at cornerback, including former Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore.
The 13-year veteran signed with the Vikings in mid-August, and will likely anchor a unit that's struggled mightily over the past few seasons. Minnesota also added Shaquill Griffin and Fabian Moreau to help develop some of the younger corners in Akayleb Evans and rookie Dwight McGlothern. The Vikings also return Byron Murphy Jr., who signed with the team last offseason.
The dynamic kickoff
There are multiple reasons to keep an eye on kickoffs this year, starting with the new dynamic kickoff rule that the league implemented to help promote more kickoff returns.
The new rule brings touchbacks out to the 30-yard line and forces kickers to land the kickoff in the designated landing zone (20-yard line to the goal line). If the kickoff doesn't reach the 20, the ball will be placed at the 40-yard line.
Kickoff formations will also be different. The kicker will continue to kickoff from the 35-yard line, but the other players on the kicking team will line up on the opposing 40-yard line. The receiving team will line up between their own 35 and 30-yard line, with at least seven players having a foot on the 35. Players on both sides will be forced to wait until the ball is either caught by the returner or hits the ground before they can start running.
Minnesota will also rely on a new returner after cutting ties with All-Pro Kene Nwangwu. Special teams coordinator Mike Daniels revealed earlier this week that running back Ty Chandler would handle the bulk of duties with receiver Brandon Powell, who has experience returning punts, also getting some chances.
Who will rush the quarterback?
The Vikings parted ways with another All-Pro in Danielle Hunter in the offseason, presenting an opportunity for a new player — or players — to disrupt opposing quarterbacks. The Vikings swapped out Hunter, who signed with the Houston Texans, with former Texans edge rusher Jonathan Greenard vie free agency. At 27, Greenard is younger than Hunter, 29, but hasn't amassed nearly as many sacks, partly due to injuries. Greenard has yet to play a full season but is coming off his best season — 12.5 sacks — after playing in a career-high 15 games.
The Vikings also added former Dolphins edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel and drafted rookie Dallas Turner in the first round to help apply some additional pressure. It's unclear how each will be used in defensive coordinator Brian Flores' system, but his aggressive style will certainly provide them with plenty of opportunities to meet at the quarterback.
Jalen Nailor takes over at WR3
The former sixth-round selection has had limited opportunities since being drafted in 2022, but he emerged this offseason as one of the team's better options behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. He spent part of last season dealing with a hamstring injury, but if Nailor can remain healthy, he's in line to see more playing time and will likely benefit from opposing teams focusing heavily on limiting Jefferson and Addison.
Nailor was on the injury report earlier in the week, but was a full participant in Friday's practice, and should be a go on Sunday.
Rookie Reichard's right leg
From Gary Anderson in 1999 to Blair Walsh in 2016, kicking misfortunes have plagued the Vikings in recent history. Now, the team will turn to rookie Will Reichard to help alleviate some of those uneasy feelings surrounding their kickers.
Coming out of Alabama, Reichard is no stranger to big situations. He won a national championship in 2020, set the NCAA's all-time scoring record and had the fourth best kicking percentage (88%) of all kickers with at least 25 field goal attempts last season. He also hit on all five of his attempts of 50 yards or more, but will that success transfer over to the NFL? Vikings fans sure hope so.
Ryan Wright looks to return to rookie form
As a rookie, Ryan Wright's powerful leg quickly won over the Vikings' coaching staff — and fans — as he continually flipped the field by pinning opponents deep in their own territory. He placed 32 punts inside the 20 and earned Special Teams Player of the Week honors after a 73-yard boomer against the Miami Dolphins.
Last season, while his average distance increased by more than a yard, his net average dropped from 43.1 to 41.9. He landed half as many punts inside the 20 while sending seven soaring into the end zone. Wright beat out Seth Vernon in training camp to retain punting duties, but he'll need to be more consistent if he's going to continue to be the team's punter moving forward.
Vikings O-line vs. Dexter Lawrence II
Dexter Lawrence II is one of the most disruptive nose tackles in the league, and Vikings fans saw it first-hand during the 2022 playoffs. Lawrence didn't record a sack, but he hit then-quarterback Kirk Cousins four times and caused the veteran QB to throw short on a crucial fourth down play that ultimately ended the game. Lawrence had a field day with the Vikings' interior line that game, so it will be worth watching how they handle the 342-pound All-Pro on Sunday.
Brian Daboll's play calling
New York's head coach confirmed earlier this week he would be calling the offensive plays after a disastrous season where the Giants finished 6-11 and averaged just 15.6 points per game. There were rumors swirling last year that he had taken over those duties mid-season, but he ended all speculation by telling reporters, "Yeah, I'm doing it," when asked about who would be calling the plays on Sunday.
Daboll was named the Associated Press 2022 Coach of the Year after leading the Giants to the postseason, and following that up with a road win against the Vikings in the wild-card round. New York diced Minnesota's secondary in that game, helping land Giants quarterback Daniel Jones a four-year, $160 million contract extension, but last year's struggles have put pressure on both the coach and quarterback this season.
All eyes on Daniel Jones
Speaking of Daniel Jones, the $160-million quarterback will need to elevate his game this season if he's going to remain in New York after 2024. Jones battled injuries for much of the 2023 but went just 1-5 in the six games he played in. During that stretch, he threw for just 909 yards, two touchdowns and six interceptions. He's only thrown for more than 20 touchdowns once in his career (2019) and is a career 64.3 percent passer. His time in New York could hinge on how he plays this season, and he'll get the chance to silence some of his critics by going against the team that showed little resistance in their previous meeting.