Minnesota Vikings: 5 Biggest questions for the 2020 season

4. How different will the defense look?

While entering the offseason as a team that was in a tough spot when it comes to its salary cap situation, Minnesota was faced with some tough decisions following the 2019 season and would ultimately have to cut ties with some familiar faces within various aspects of the team.

The area of the squad that saw the largest amount of turnover throughout the free agency period and during the offseason, in general, was the defense, a unit that has been one of the top groups in the NFL really since Mike Zimmer took over as head coach.

Such was the case once again in 2019, when the Vikings had a solid defensive unit that proved to once again be a shutdown defense when facing opposing offenses week-in and week-out. With a group that was filled with depth throughout various aspects of the defense, it was easy to understand why this unit was once again top-notch.

During the offseason, part of the hard decision-making that took place hit the back end of the Vikings defense the hardest after the organization parted ways with the likes of safeties Jayron Kearse and Andrew Sendejo, as well as cornerbacks Xavier Rhodes, Mackensie Alexander and Trae Waynes. Minnesota also saw key players on the defensive line like defensive tackle Linval Joseph, and defensive ends Everson Griffen and Stephen Weatherly leave in free agency as well.

Those departures mean Minnesota will likely look fairly different on the defensive side of the field in 2020 as it tries to move on and fill holes on that side of the field during the season.

Although there will be players like cornerback Mike Hughes, rookie cornerback Jeff Gladney, defensive end Ifeadi Odenigbo and others who will have to step into starting roles, there will still be key faces like linebackers Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks, defensive end Danielle Hunter and safeties Anthony Harris and Harrison Smith that Vikings fans will recognize that the purple and gold will lean on in the upcoming campaign.

The big question is, with the mix of new and remaining talent now appearing on the defensive side of the field, if Minnesota will once again emerge as a dominant group on defense in 2020.