15. Minnesota Vikings (14)
There was a lot of buzz about the Minnesota Vikings in 2018 thanks to their addition of the $84 million man. A year after making the NFC title game with Case Keenum under center, the Vikings went out and landed free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins. With other teams looking at the former Washington starter, Cousins ended up with a fully guaranteed three-year deal.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. Offensive coordinator John DeFilippo seemed to try too hard at dialing up the big plays and wasn’t committed to the run. He was fired ahead of Week 15 and Kevin Stefanski took his place. Minnesota improved but still finished 8-7-1 and missed the playoffs.
Looking ahead to this season, the Vikings are expected to get back in contention. Stefanski is returning to call plays and they landed a solid starting center in Garrett Bradbury. They also selected Irv Smith, Jr. which gives them two solid tight ends as he joins veteran Kyle Rudolph.
Of course, it all comes down to Cousins again. He’s going to have to prove that he can perform consistently rather than just flashing with great plays and then turning it over in key situation. If he can do that, this team can be pretty tough.