Minnesota Vikings: 5 Offensive coordinator candidates to consider

3. Rick Dennison, Vikings offensive line coach

Throughout his tenure in Minnesota, Mike Zimmer has oftentimes leaned towards promoting from within the organization when a coaching position opens up on the team.

If Gary Kubiak does decide to move on and retire this offseason, that could mean that Zimmer might once again dip into the pool of coaches currently on the Vikings staff to name as offensive coordinator moving forward.

One candidate that could be considered as an option might be Minnesota’s current offensive line coach, Rick Dennison.

Dennison, who will turn 63 years old in June, completed his second season with the Vikings in 2020, serving as the offensive line coach and run game coordinator. Prior to his current stop in Minnesota, Dennison spent time in various roles with the Denver Broncos (1995-2009, 2015-16), Houston Texans (2010-13), Baltimore Ravens (2014), Buffalo Bills (2017) and New York Jets (2018).

Most notably over his 26-year coaching career, Dennison served as offensive coordinator in Denver, Houston and Buffalo, also having played key roles offensively in every other stop along the way.

If Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer is looking for more of an experienced coach on his staff to take over play-calling duties on offense, Dennison could be a top candidate to do just that. After all, Zimmer has been vocal about his fondness for experience in coaches, which was one of the reasons Gary Kubiak was promoted to offensive coordinator prior to the 2020 season.

As far as internal candidates go, keep an eye on Dennison as a name that could potentially take over as offensive coordinator in Minnesota.