No matter what happens with many of the high-priced veterans who could be salary cap casualties this offseason, the Minnesota Vikings are going to need young players to improve by leaps and bounds if they want to be a true contender in 2023.
Here are eight players who could reasonably be expected to make that jump.
Lewis Cine, S
By all accounts, Lewis Cine is making great progress in his rehab from a season-ending ankle/leg injury. The 32nd pick in the 2022 NFL Draft has the speed and explosiveness to be a dynamic playmaker in Minnesota’s secondary – especially if new defensive coordinator Brian Flores gets aggressive and uses him all over the field similar to how Cine was used in college at Georgia.
Ty Chandler, RB
Chandler popped in the preseason but wasn’t used as a running back during the regular season because the Vikings had Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison. If Cook is cut to save salary cap space and Mattison goes elsewhere as an unrestricted free agent, there’s nothing standing in the way of Chandler becoming the primary running back.
Cameron Dantzler, CB
It’ll be Year 4 for Dantzler and maybe his first real chance to be successful. His rookie year in 2020 was under the chaotic cloud from the pandemic. Year 2 in 2021 was under a disastrous season that ended with the firing of Mike Zimmer. Year 3 in 2022 could’ve been a big jump but almost no one succeeded in Ed Donatell’s defense. With Brian Flores calling the defense in 2023 and three years of experience under his belt, maybe Dantzler lives up to the hype as a third-round draft pick.
Josh Mettellus, S
If Harrison Smith isn’t back next season, the starting safety job opposite of Camryn Bynum or Lewis Cine is definitely going to be Josh Mettellus. The 25-year-old’s Pro Football Focus grade was one of the best among NFL safeties this season and his teammates voted him a captain late in the season.
Brian Asamoah, LB
The speedy linebacker is a virtual lock to be a starting linebacker next season. He flashed big-time playmaking ability in Minnesota’s Christmas Eve win over the Giants when he forced and recovered a fumble. He was graded the ninth-best linebacker in the NFL over the final four weeks of the regular season by Pro Football Focus.
Jalen Nailor, WR
Minnesota is hard up for cap space and they need depth at wide receiver. Nailor could have a big role as the No. 3 wide receiver in 2023 but only if Adam Thielen doesn’t return. If Thielen is back, Nailor is likely No. 4 on the depth chart behind Justin Jefferson, Thielen and K.J. Osborn. But if Thielen is gone, Nailor slides up to No. 3 and could be the field-stretching speedster the team needs to take pressure off Jefferson.
Andrew Booth Jr., CB
If healthy, Booth Jr. has the athletic ability to be a big-time cornerback. But he’s been unable to avoid injury going all the way back to his high school days. The Vikings saw so much talent that they took him in the second round with hopes that he could be a starting corner for years to come. Still only 22 years old, the sky remains the limit for the former Clemson Tiger.
Akayleb Evans, CB
He’s a 6-foot-2 corner who was thrown into the fire as a rookie before multiple concussions ended his season. He flashed some ability to play at a high level and his second year in the league should be more fruitful – especially in a scheme that emphasizes putting pressure on the quarterback, thus giving cornerbacks a chance to play aggressive instead of sitting back in shell coverages.
