State of the 2023 Minnesota Vikings: Can Kirk Cousins and Co. defend NFC North title?

Where does your squad stand in 2023? Adam Rank sets the table by providing a State of the Franchise look at all 32 teams, zeroing in on the key figures to watch and setting the stakes for the season to come.

Members of the Vikings organization, Vikings fans around the world and those who believe Curt Hennig is the greatest athlete in the history of Minnesota athletics ...

The Vikings had a pretty incredible year in 2022, a thrilling 13-win season. Eleven of those victories came by one score or less. But then they fizzled in the postseason. What can they do for an encore, even after saying goodbye to some veterans who were once considered core players? Good question.

2022 rewind

One high from last season: Justin Jefferson single-handedly beating the Buffalo Bills. It was one of the best performances from a wide receiver I have ever seen. He had 10 receptions for 193 yards, including a 22-yard touchdown to open the scoring. But the most dazzling moment was THIS one-handed grab on fourth-and-18 late in the fourth quarter to keep the Vikings alive. It was incredible.

One low from last season: Super Wild Card Weekend turning into a bummer. The Vikings defied the odds, moved past the Packers and won the NFC North. They got a home playoff game against the New York Giants, a team they should have beaten. Even after twice falling behind by 10 points, Minnesota managed to give itself a chance in the closing moments -- only to exit the postseason on a fourth-down throw short of the sticks.

2023 VIPs

Quarterback: Kirk Cousins. Kirk is like your favorite mid-card wrestler -- you really love him, but he's not the top draw in the company. He's kind of like The Miz. The Miz is awesome (ha; I didn't do that on purpose). He's had an amazing run, winning a WrestleMania main event. He's very talented and is not appreciated enough. But he's not Roman Reigns. He's not Brock Lesnar. He just isn't.

Cousins is good. He ranked fourth in the NFL in passing yards last season (4,547). He posted eight fourth-quarter comebacks in 2022, more than anyone in the league, and he was great down the stretch, averaging nearly 300 passing yards per game over his final nine games. He rocked gold chains while shirtless on the team plane. I love him! But I don't put him in the category of truly elite quarterbacks in the NFL.

And there's an additional wrinkle: After five remarkably consistent years (during which Cousins averaged 4,187 passing yards, 30 touchdown passes and 10 picks), this could be the final season of the Cousins era in Minnesota. The 34-year-old, who is not currently under contract beyond 2023, said in April that he wants to "earn the right" to stick with the Vikings. Will Minnesota decide to keep riding with Kirk, or will the team want to start fresh at QB in 2024? Whatever comes next, finally mounting a sustained playoff run (he's gone 1-2 in the postseason for Minnesota, averaging 171.8 passing yards per game) would surely help Cousins' cause.

Projected 2023 MVP: Justin Jefferson, receiver. Jefferson is the reigning Offensive Player of the Year -- and in a timeline where Patrick Mahomes decided to play baseball instead of football, Jefferson could have been MVP, too. So let's just say he's the best receiver in the world and call it a day. Jefferson led all receivers with 28 red-zone targets last year, per Next Gen Stats. He's had 324 receptions for 4,825 yards through his first three career seasons. That's the most in NFL history. I think it's settled: He's pretty good.

New face to know: Marcus Davenport, defensive end. The Vikings needed help on the defensive side of the football. So they traded Za'Darius Smith away, which is one way to go, I guess. But seriously, to take an optimistic view for a second, adding Davenport, a former first-round pick by the Saints, on a one-year, $13 million deal was a low-risk, high-reward move. Yes, Davenport is coming off a 0.5-sack season. But he racked up nine sacks in 2021, and that's the kind of pass-rush presence this team could really use, especially if Danielle Hunter becomes the next Viking to head out the door. Plus, Davenport's got nice coverage skills, as you can see below (peep him rocking that No. 0):

2023 breakout star: Josh Oliver, tight end. I loved the addition of Oliver, even with 2022 trade acquisition T.J. Hockenson on the roster. Oliver can effectively help run more 12 personnel (two tight ends); he earned PFF grades of 70.0 or better as both a run blocker and in pass pro. The Vikings were pretty bad in rushing last year, as they ranked 27th in the league. Adding Oliver is going to boost the ground attack. And, yes, he's likely to poach some touchdowns, which will be maddening to those fantasy enthusiasts who draft Hockenson, but you know the deal by now.

2023 braintrust

• The Vikings' offense took off under O'Connell in his first year on the job, kind of like when you hit the Super Mushroom in Mario Kart, jumping from 14th in points per game in 2021 to eighth in 2022. Kirk Cousins had his best season. Justin Jefferson was the best receiver in the league. And KOC's 13 wins were the most by a rookie coach in club history.
• One of the best signings of the offseason was the Vikings hiring Flores, one of the best defensive minds in the NFL today. Interestingly, this will be the first time in his career that he's had the title of defensive coordinator. He called the defensive plays in 2018 as the Patriots' linebacker coach, then was hired as the Dolphins' head coach, then served as linebackers coach and senior defensive assistant for Mike Tomlin last year in Pittsburgh. Also interesting to note: Flores was on the Patriots' staff when they drafted KOC out of SDSU.
• Adofo-Mensah has made a habit of trading with his NFC North counterparts. He traded down from No. 12 to 32 last year in a deal with the Lions that allowed Detroit to snag Jameson Williams. He dealt one of the picks acquired in that trade to the Packers, who used it to select Christian Watson. Then, in season, Adofo-Mensah acquired Hockenson from Detroit. As a Bears fan, I'm never going to forgive this dude if Watson ends up being the next Davante Adams for Green Bay.

Roster reshuffling

Below is a rundown of the Vikings' most notable roster developments for the 2023 season, including this year's draft class, as well as key acquisitions and departures via free agency and trade.

2023 roadmap

Three key dates:

• . If the Vikings are intent on proving they belong in the conversation as bonafide contenders in the NFC, here is their chance to do just that.
• Week 5 vs. Kansas City Chiefs. The Vikings have the 14th-easiest schedule, according to last year's records. But that includes two games against the Bears, which kind of tilts things. This is one of the tough games on the slate, marking their second clash with one of the two Super Bowl teams within the first five weeks of the season.
• Week 18 at Detroit Lions. This could be for the NFC North title.

Will the Vikings be able to ...

... play some defense this season? Can Flores elevate a defense that finished 31st in yards allowed last season? The aforementioned Marcus Davenport signing was a good one. I also really liked Byron Murphy; he might not be the kind of elite-level corner Flores was familiar with in New England, but he'll still give Flores something to work with. Especially since past history suggests Flores is going to try to create pressure by blitzing the quarterback, putting his corners on an island. When he called plays for New England in 2018, the Pats ranked eighth in blitz rate (32.8%); with Flores as head coach, the Dolphins ranked 13th in 2019 (30.5%), second in 2020 (40.8%) and first in 2021 (39.5%). Of course, if Hunter ends up suiting up elsewhere, that would only increase the difficulty level of the challenge facing Flores.

... count on Jordan Addison as the complement to Justin Jefferson? The Vikings were so miserable on defense last year, they said, "Screw it, we're using our first-round pick on another receiver." OK, I don't think they actually said that, but I do love the selection of Addison 23rd overall. It's important to have someone opposite Jefferson in the wake of Adam Thielen's release, and while I like K.J. Osborn as much as the next guy, Addison represents a talent upgrade. Relying on Osborn in that role would be like buying lawn furniture at the drug store; sure, you can talk yourself into thinking it looks good under the florescent lights, next to the cough medicine, but when it falls apart after a holiday weekend, you might end up wondering why you didn't pay more for the real thing. Well, the Vikings did pay for the real thing with Addison.

One storyline ...

... people shouldn't overthink: How the Vikings will go on without Dalvin Cook. I'm not trying to brush off the significance of Cook's release. I mean, if you grew up with guys like Chuck Foreman and Robert Smith, you remember when guys would play with their teams basically forever. Cook played in all 17 games last year and is one of just three players to log 5,000-plus rushing yards since 2019, joining Derrick Henry and Nick Chubb. NFL teams apparently don't put a premium on the running back position, with the Vikings seemingly unable to find a trade partner for him. (Perhaps it was because he's approaching the ghastly age of 28.) All that said, the Vikings should be in OK shape moving forward with Alexander Mattison, who signed a two-year extension in March. Mattison has averaged 115.5 scrimmage yards per game in six career starts without Cook. And they can turn to the talented Ty Chandler to be the Alexander Mattison of the offense this season.

... people shouldn't overlook: The rest of the offseason veteran exodus. The Vikings also said goodbye to Za'Darius Smith, Adam Thielen, Eric Kendricks, Dalvin Tomlinson and Patrick Peterson. Roster churn is a necessary, if sometimes uncomfortable, aspect of life in the modern NFL, but that's a long list of names to replace in one season while attempting to remain on top of the NFC North. Mattison is a relatively known commodity, which is why I'm not as worried about moving forward without Cook, but in terms of who will step up in the absence of other outgoing veterans, rising talents like Murphy, Davenport and even Addison are less of a sure thing.

For 2023 to be a success, the Vikings MUST:

• Leave nothing on the table. To call the end of the 2022 season a disappointment would be an understatement. (I mean, unless you're a fan of the rival NFC North teams. Which, hey, I am!) The Vikings are in a funny spot. The Lions and Bears are on the way up. The roster is in flux, with a potential QB reset on tap soon. But they'll have at least one more year of Kirk Cousins, and Justin Jefferson is a truly special talent in his prime. They have at least 17 games left to make the most of this duo, and failing to reach the playoffs or quickly exiting the postseason with another loss to a team like the Giants would be a shame. For them. Not me, I would find it hilarious. But for you guys. That would be awful.

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