A Stab At The Minnesota Vikings Starting Lineup

The latter half of May, while waiting for OTAs, is the perfect time to think about the possible starting lineup of the Minnesota Vikings. Other than the offensive line, there probably won't be many changes from last year.

Offense

WR	Stefon Diggs
TE	Kyle Rudolph
LT	Riley Reiff
LG	Pat Elflein
C	Garrett Bradbury
RG	Josh Kline
RT	Brian O'Neill
TE	Irv Smith Jr.
WR	Adam Thielen
QB	Kirk Cousins
RB	Dalvin Cook

It's not quite accurate to take a snapshot of a team's lineup and say that this is the team's starting lineup. It all depends on the first play, or series of first plays, of a game. The quarterback and line might be a set thing but everything else is up to the playcall. Anyway, I like this two-tight end formation, with Kyle Rudolph and rookie Irv Smith Jr., as the Vikings' most versatile lineup. 

The Vikings' offensive line has recently been the sort of offensive line that can get a quarterback killed. The interior offensive line is completely different. Pat Elflein is the only returning starter but he's bumped to left guard with the addition of first-round pick Garrett Bradbury. These expected starters on the line have yet to step on the field together but I already feel better about the group. It also helps that I feel much better about the coaching and offensive system. I'll feel even better about this starting group when fourth-round pick Dru Samia is a part of it. I don't think that it would be much of a surprise to anyone if he forces his way into the starting lineup before the start of the season. 

Defense

DE	Everson Griffen
DT	Shamar Stefen
NT	Linval Joseph
DE	Danielle Hunter
LB	Anthony Barr
LB	Eric Kendricks
LB	Ben Gedeon
CB	Xavier Rhodes
CB	Trae Waynes
S	Harrison Smith
S	Anthony Harris

Not much thought was needed to pencil in the starting defense. This group has been together for a while. Even the one new starter from the defense that ended the 2018 season doesn't feel new. Shamar Stephen was a 2014 draft pick of the Vikings. He played in Seattle last season. He's back this season. If any positions are up for grabs, it's 3-technique (Stephen) and weak-side linebacker (Ben Gedeon). The other positions range from very secure to downright locks.  

The Vikings, like most teams in this passing-dominant football generation, are in sub-packages far more than their base defense. So much so (about 2/3 of the time) that the sub-packages should be considered the base defense. In nickel, corner Mackensie Alexander replaces Gedeon. Second-year corner Mike Hughes and safety Jayron Kearse will reportedly compete with Alexander for that role. 

Special Teams

K	Dan Bailey
P	Mat Wile
LS	Kevin McDermott

The only question here is whether Kevin McDermott keeps his job. The Vikings selected Air Force long snapper Austin Cutting in the seventh round. Drafting a long snapper is a good indication that a team is getting a new long snapper. The only thing keeping McDermott in this starting lineup is the uncertainty surrounding Cutting's two-year commitment to the Air Force. He could be the long snapper this year, in two years, or at any time in between. 

There it is. The Vikings' starters. In May.