3 Minnesota Vikings training camp battles to watch
By Randy Gurzi
The three tightest Minnesota Vikings camp battles in 2020
The Minnesota Vikings finished three games behind the Green Bay Packers in 2019 with a record of 10-6. They were good enough to make the playoffs and they even knocked off the New Orleans Saints in the Wild Card Round.
However, they were defeated by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the playoffs. Clearly, they could have had a much better chance to get back to the NFC Championship Game had they knocked off Green Bay and won the top seed in their division — giving them games at home in the playoffs rather than on the road.
They hope to do that this season but it won’t be easy. Minnesota has undergone a lot of changes since we last saw them on the field as they traded away Stefon Diggs and then released Everson Griffen, Xavier Rhodes, and Linval Joseph. They also lost Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander in free agency, which shakes up their whole roster.
Also being moved around is their coaching staff. Offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski was hired by the Cleveland Browns in the offseason to be their head coach. Gary Kubiak moves from an offensive advisor to the new OC and while he’s a great replacement, it’s still hard to lose a young and creative mind such as Stefanski’s.
Minnesota also landed a replacement for Diggs with Justin Jefferson and hopes to have shored up the cornerback spot with the selection of Jeff Gladney.
Even so, there are several questions that remain and here we look at their roster and identify the three biggest position battles that remain in 2020 for the Vikings as camp begins.