Minnesota Vikings: 5 Biggest questions for the 2020 season
2. Can Vikings fill void of Stefon Diggs in passing game?
When it comes to Minnesota on the offensive side of the field, a unit that will look a bit different this season is the wide receiver group.
Over the course of the last few seasons, the Vikings have had a dominant receiving corps led by Adam Thielen, Stefon Diggs, tight end Kyle Rudolph and others that have posed problems for opposing defenses to try and slow down.
During the offseason, however, that wideout group has thinned out to some extent while it appears Thielen will be able to gain an even larger role within the passing game this year and beyond.
Midway through the offseason, Minnesota traded away star wide receiver Stefon Diggs, a move that ultimately needed to be made after the wideout expressed frustrations with the organization over the past few seasons. Diggs was traded to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for a handful of draft picks, providing a new start for both the Vikings and their now-former wide receiver.
With the sudden need at wide receiver, Minnesota ended up drafting Diggs’ potential replacement when it selected LSU wideout Justin Jefferson with a first-round selection in the 2020 NFL Draft.
With Thielen and Jefferson as likely candidates to lead the way for the receiving group this year, there is still a question of how the Vikings will be able to fill the void of a deep-ball threat like Diggs in 2020.
Outside of Thielen and Jefferson, there are some other players on offense and in the passing game, specifically, that will need to step up. Other wide receivers such as Olabisi Johnson, Chad Beebe, newly signed Tajae Sharpe and others, along with tight ends Rudolph and Irv Smith Jr. will likely see more targets as a result of the absence of Diggs.
With Minnesota now focused primarily on the running game within the offense, it will be interesting to see how it will be able to overcome the departure of Diggs in the passing attack to counter that game on the ground this season.