In June, any player on an NFL roster that hasn’t broken out is a candidate to break out. The Minnesota Vikings have several players with the potential to break out this season. Here are some of those players on the offensive side of the ball.
Offensive Line
I’m including the entire offensive line. The offensive line must play as a group so I’m listing them here as a group. Individually, I can list left tackle Christian Darrisaw and left guard Ezra Cleveland as break out candidates. I’d like to include Garrett Bradbury as a potential breakout player but I’ll settle for better, more consistent play from the team’s center. Darrisaw and Cleveland have the potential to join right tackle Brian O’Neill as standout members of the Vikings offensive line. That would be a huge step forward for a group that’s been a team weakness for about a decade. To solve those offensive line woes, the Vikings have made a clear effort recently to stock the line with high-end talent. Finally. Since 2018, top draft picks have been used to piece together what hopefully becomes an NFL-quality offensive line.
2018: Brian O’Neill - 2nd round
2019: Garrett Bradbury - 1st round
2020: Ezra Cleveland - 2nd round
2021: Christian Darrisaw - 1st round
2021: Wyatt Davis - 3rd round
2022: Ed Ingram - 2nd round
I’m currently leaning into a Vikings offensive line that looks something like this:
|
LT |
Christian Darrisaw |
|
LG |
Ezra Cleveland |
|
C |
Garrett Bradbury |
|
RG |
Ed Ingram |
|
RT |
Brian O’Neill |
Free agent additions Jesse Davis and Chris Reed are competing with Ingram for the right guard job. Bradbury has elite movement skills for a center. He can get to some blocks that few, if any, centers can. Unfortunately, he gets tossed about by big, strong defensive linemen. There are a lot of big, strong defensive linemen in the NFL. Bradbury must get NFL strong. He and the coaches must also come up with techniques and schemes that minimize the opportunities for defensive linemen to toss him about. Center can’t be a weak link if the offensive line is to break out this season.
Irv Smith Jr.
Kyle Rudolph was allowed to leave last season as Irv Smith Jr. was set to break out. Break out big. Then he suffered a torn meniscus at the end of the preseason and was lost for the season. His breakout season moves to this season. With his smooth movement skills, Smith is more big receiver than tight end. With the defensive attention paid to receivers Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen and running back Dalvin Cook, Smith should be able to find open spaces and opportunities. On paper, the Vikings offense has the potential to be dizzying. Smith should be a big part of that.
Kene Nwangwu
Kene Nwangwu broke out as a kick returner last year as a rookie. Soon after he stepped off the injured list, he emerged as the league’s most explosive kick returner. This year, he could break out on offense. Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison are above him on the running back depth chart. Nwangwu should still get opportunities. His speed is special. That makes him dangerous. The Vikings new coaches must find a way to get him involved in the offense. Nwangwu isn’t a fast, little guy. He’s 6’1” 210 lbs. He can run between the tackles. His is a skill set that must have a role on offense.
Ihmir Smith-Marsette
K.J. Osborn broke out last season. Could the Vikings have another receiver break out this season? Ihmir Smith-Marsette might have the talent to do so. He’s fast. He explosive. Actually, he might be faster, more explosive than the receivers in front of him. With Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen at the top of the receiver depth chart, it’s easy to forget the receivers behind them. Last season, Osborn emerged as a nice third receiver. Dalvin Cook, Irv Smith Jr. Kene Nwangwu? The Vikings have a lot of offensive weapons. It might be easy to forget about Smith-Marsette. He has some skills that could force his own coaches and defenses to remember him.
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